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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016 


https://archive.org/details/goldenchersoneseOObird 


MISS  BIRD’S  TRAVELS 


Unbeaten  Tracks  in  Japan.  An  account  of  Travels  on  Horse- 
back in  the  Interior.  By  Isabella  L.  Bird.  2 vols.  8vo.  Illustrations 


and  maps  ...........  $5  oo 

The  same.  Popular  edition.  1 vol.  8vo  . . . $3  00 


“ Miss  Bird  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  travellers  of  our  day.  Penetrating  into 
regions  wholly  unknown  by  the  outside  world,  she  has  accomplished  by  the  force  of 
an  indomitable  will,  aided  by  great  tact  and  shrewdness,  a task  to  which  few  men 
would  have  been  found  equal ; and  she  has  brought  away  from  the  scene  of  her  re- 
searches not  only  a lively  tale  of  adventure,  but  a great  store  of  fresh  and  interesting 
information  about  the  character  and  habits  of  a people  now  undergoing  one  of  the 
strangest  transformations  the  world  has  ever  seen.  We  doubt  whether  the  inner  life 
of  Japan  has  ever  been  better  described  than  in  the  pregnant  pages  of  this  pertina- 
cious Englishwoman.” — -A'.  Y.  Daily  Tribune. 

A Lady’s  Life  in  the  Rocky  Mountains.  By  Isabella  L. 
Bird,  author  of  “ Unbeaten  Tracks  in  Japan,”  etc.  Octavo,  illus- 
trated   $1  75 

“ Of  the  bold  dragoons  who  have  recently  figured  in  military  life,  bewitching  the 
world  with  feats  of  noble  horsemanship,  the  fair  Amazon  who  rides  like  a Centaur 
over  the  roughest  passes  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  will  certainly  bear  away  the 
palm.” — New  York  Tribune. 

“Told  with  a gracefulness  and  an  enthusiasm  that  render  her  work  more  en- 
tertaining and  thrilling  than  any  fictitious  story  of  adventure.” — New  England 
Farmer. 

Six  Months  among  the  Palm  Groves,  Coral  Reefs,  and 
Volcanoes  of  the  Sandwich  Islands.  Fourth  edition,  with  illus- 
trations. l2mo,  cloth  ........  §2  50 

“ Miss  Bird  is  the  ideal  traveller.” — London  Spectator. 

The  Golden  Chersonese  and  the  Way  Thither.  Octavo,  cloth, 

with  24  illustrations,  and  2 maps  . . . . . . $2  25 

Sketches  of  travel  in  the  Malayan  Peninsula. 

“ There  never  was  a more  perfect  traveller  than  Miss  Bird.  * * * Interesting 

extracts  could  be  made  from  every  page  of  the  book  * * * one  of  the  cleverest 

books  of  travel  of  the  year.” — New  York  Times. 

“ For  practical  common-sense,  womanly  dignity,  purpose,  and,  as  we  Americans 
say,  clear  ‘ grit,'  recommend  us  to  Miss  Bird.” — New  York  Churchman. 

“ It  is  impossible  here  to  give  any  fair  idea  of  the  charm  of  this  book,  it  is  redolent 
of  the  tropics.” — San  Francisco  Chronicle. 


G.  P.  PUTNAM’S  SONS,  27  & 29  West  23d  St.,  New  York. 
18  Henrietta,  Street,  Covent  Garden,  London. 


THE  AUTHOR’S  FIRST  RIDE  IN  PERAK.  [See  j><Zge  298.) 


THE 


GOLDEN  CHERSONESE 

AND  THE  WAY  THITHER 


By  ISABELLA  L.  BIRD 

(MRS.cISHOP) 

Author  of  "The  Hawaiian  Archipelago;”  "A  Lady’s  Life  in  the  Rocky 
Mountains;”  "Unbeaten  Tracks  in  Japan,”  etc. 


WITH  MAP  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS 


Down  to  the  Golden  Chersonese  ” 

— Milton,  Par.  Lost,  Book  xi. 


NEW  YORK  & LONDON 


G.  P.  PUTNAM’S  SONS 
SHje  Jjmclurbockr 
1886 


Press  of 

G.  P.  Putnam’s  Sons 
New  York 


Co  a 13elobrti  JHemotg 

THIS  VOLUME  IS 

REVERENTLY  AND  SORROWFULLY 


DEDICATED 


PREFACE. 


In  presenting  to  the  public  the  last  installment  of 
my  travels  in  the  Far  East,  in  1879,  I desire  to 
offer,  both  to  my  readers  and  critics,  my  grateful 
acknowledgments  for  the  kindness  with  which  my 
letters  from  Japan  were  received,  and  to  ask  for  an 
equally  kind  and  lenient  estimate  of  my  present 
volume,  which  has  been  prepared  for  publication 
under  the  heavy  shadow  of  the  loss  of  the  beloved 
and  only  sister  to  whom  the  letters  of  which  it  con- 
sists were  written,  and  whose  able  and  careful  criti- 
cism, as  well  as  loving  interest,  accompanied  my 
former  volumes  through  the  press. 

It  is  by  her  wish  that  this  book  has  received  the 
title  of  the  “Golden  Chersonese,”  a slightly  ambi- 
tious one  ; and  I must  at  once  explain  that  my  let- 
ters treat  of  only  its  western  portion,  for  the  very 
sufficient  reason  that  the  interior  is  unexplored  by 
Europeans,  half  of  it  being  actually  so  little  known 
that  the  latest  map  gives  only  the  position  of  its 
coast-line.  I hope,  however,  that  my  book  will  be 
accepted  as  an  honest  attempt  to  make  a popular 
contribution  to  the  sum  of  knowledge  of  a beauti- 

O 


V 


VI 


PREFACE. 


ful  and  little-traveled  region,  with  which  the  major- 
ity of  educated  people  are  so  little  acquainted  that 
it  is  constantly  confounded  with  the  Malay  Archi- 
pelago, but  which  is  practically  under  British  rule, 
and  is  probable  destined  to  afford  increasing  em- 
ployment to  British  capital  and  enterprise. 

The  introductory  chapter,  and  the  explanatory 
chapters  on  Sungei  Ujong,  Selangor  and  Perak, 
contain  information  of  a rather  more  solid  charac- 
ter than  is  given  in  my  sketches  of  travel,  and  are 
intended  to  make  the  letters  more  intelligible  and 
useful.'"'  The  map  by  Mr.  Daly  is  the  result  of  the 
most  recent  surveys,  and  is  published  here  by  per- 
mission of  the  Royal  Geographical  Society. 

As  I traveled  under  official  auspices,  and  was 
entertained  at  the  houses  of  officials  everywhere,  I 
feel  it  to  be  due  to  my  entertainers  to  say  that  I 
have  carefully  abstained  from  giving  their  views  on 
any  subjects  on  which  they  may  have  uttered  them 
in  the  ease  of  friendly  intercourse,  except  in  two  or 
three  trivial  instances,  in  which  I have  quoted  them 
as  my  authorities.  The  opinions  expressed  are 
wholly  my  own,  whether  right  or  wrong,  and  I ac- 
cept the  fullest  responsibility  for  them. 

For  the  sketchy  personal  descriptions  which  are 
here  and  there  given,  I am  sure  of  genial  forgive- 


* These  chapters  are  based  upon  sundry  reports  and  other  official  papers, 
and  I have  largely  drawn  upon  those  storehouses  of  accurate  and  valuable 
information,  Newbold’s  British  Settlements  in  Malacca , and  Crawfurd’s 
Dictionary  of  the  Indian  Islands. 


PREFACE. 


VI 1 


ness  from  my  friends  in  the  Malay  Peninsula,  and 
from  them  also  I doubt  not  that  I shall  receive  the 
most  kindly  allowance,  if,  in  spite  of  carefulness,  I 
have  fallen  into  mistakes. 

In  writing  to  my  sister  my  first  aim  was  accuracy, 
and  my  next  to  make  her  see  what  I saw;  but  be- 
side the  remarkably  contradictory  statements  of 
the  few  resident  Europeans  and  my  own  observa- 
tions, I had  little  to  help  me,  and  realized  every 
day  how  much  truth  there  is  in  the  dictum  of  Soc- 
rates— “ The  body  is  a hindrance  to  acquiring 
knowledge,  and  sight  and  hearing  are  not  to  be 
trusted.”  * 

This  volume  is  mainly  composed  of  my  actual 
letters,  unaltered,  except  by  various  omissions  and 
some  corrections  as  to  matters  of  fact.  The  in- 
terest of  my  visits  to  the  prison  and  execution 
ground  of  Canton,  and  of  my  glimpses  of  Anamese 
villages,  may,  I hope,  be  in  some  degree  communi- 
cated to  my  readers,  even  though  Canton  and  Sai- 
gon are  on  the  beaten  track  of  travelers. 

I am  quite  aware  that  “ Letters  ” which  have  not 
received  any  literary  dress  are  not  altogether  satis- 
factory either  to  author  or  reader,  for  the  author 
sacrifices  artistic  arrangement  and  literary  merit, 
and  the  reader  is  apt  to  find  himself  involved 
among  repetitions,  and  a multiplicity  of  minor  de- 
tails, treated  in  a fashion  which  he  is  inclined  to 


* Phccdo  of  Plato.  Chapter  x. 


Vlll 


PREFACE. 


term  “ slipshod  ; ” but,  on  the  whole,  I think  that 
descriptions  written  on  the  spot,  even  with  their 
disadvantages,  are  the  best  mode  of  making  the 
reader  travel  with  the  traveler,  and  share  his 
first  impressions  in  their  original  vividness.  With 
these  explanatory  remarks  I add  my  little  volume 
to  the  ever-growing  library  of  the  literature  of 
travel.  I.  L.  B. 


February,  1883. 


CONTENTS 


INTRODUCTORY  CHAPTER. 

PAGE 

The  Aurea  Chersonesus — The  Conquest  of  Malacca — The  Straits  Settle- 
ments— The  Configuration  of  the  Peninsula — A Terra  Incognita — 

The  Monsoons — Products  of  the  Peninsula — The  great  Vampire — 
Beasts  and  Reptiles — Malignant  and  harmless  Insects — Land  and 
Water  Birds — Traditions  of  Malay  Immigration — Wild  and  Civil- 
ized Races — Kafirs — The  Samangs  and  Orang-outang — Characteris- 
tics of  the  Jakuns — Babas  and  Sinkehs — The  Malay  Physiognomy — 
Language  and  Literature — Malay  Poetry  and  Music — Malay  Astron- 
omy— Education  and  Law — Malay  Sports — Domestic  Habits — 
Weapons — Slavery  and  Debt  Bondage — Government — “ No  Infor- 
mation”  I 


LETTER  I. 

The  Steamer  Volga — Days  of  Darkness — First  View  of  Hong  Kong — 
Hong  Kong  on  Fire — Apathy  of  the  Houseless — The  Fire  breaks 
out  again — An  Eclipse  of  Gayety 36 

LETTER  II. 

A Delightful  Climate — Imprisoned  Fever  Germs — “ Pidjun”  English — 
Hong  Kong  Harbor — Prosperity  of  Hong  Kong — Rampageous 
Criminal  Classes — Circumspice  ! 44 

LETTER  III. 

The  S.  S.  Kin  Kiang — First  view  of  Canton — The  Island  of  Shameen — 
England  in  Canton — The  Tartar  City — Drains  and  Barricades — 
Canton  at  Night — Street  Picturesqueness — Ghastly  Gifts — Oriental 
Enchantments — The  Examination  Hall 53 


IX 


X 


CONTENTS. 


LETTER  IV. 

PAGE 

“Faithful  unto  Death” — “Foreign  Devils” — Junks  and  Boats — Chi- 
nese Luxury — Canton  Afloat — An  At  Fresco  Lunch — Light  and 
Color — A Mundane  Disappointment — Street  Sights  and  Sounds — 
Street  Costume — Food  and  Restaurants — A Marriage  Procession — 
Temples  and  Worship — Crippled  Feet 66 

LETTER  IV. — [Continued. ) 

Outside  the  Naam-hoi  Prison — The  Punishment  of  the  Cangue — Crime 
and  Misery— A Birthday  Banquet — “Prisoners  and  Captives” — 
Prison  Mortality — Cruelties  and  Iniquities — The  Porch  of  the  Man- 
darin— -The  Judgment-Seat — The  Precincts  of  the  Judgment-Seat — 

An  Aged  Claimant — Instruments  of  Punishment — The  Question  by 
Torture 84 


LETTER  IV. — ( Continued, .) 

The  “Covent  Garden”  of  Canton — Preliminaries  of  Execution — A 
Death  Procession — The  “Field  of  Blood” — “The  Death  of  the 
Cross  ” — A Fair  Comparison IOl 

LETTER  V. 

Portuguese  Missionaries — A Chinese  Hospital— Chinese  Anaesthetics — 
Surgery  and  Medicine — Ventilation  and  Cleanliness — A Chinese 
“Afternoon  Tea” — A new  Inspiration 108 

LETTER  VI. 

A Cochin  China  River — The  Ambition  of  Saigon — A French  Colonial 
Metropolis — European  Life  in  Saigon — A Cochin-Chinese  Village — 
“Afternoon  Tea”  in  Choquan — Anamese  Children — Anamite  Cos- 
tume— Anamite  River-Dwellings — An  Amphibious  Population — 

An  Unsuccessful  Colony — With  the  Big  Toe  ” — Three  Persecuting 
Kings — Saigon 117 


LETTER  VII. 

Beauties  of  the  Tropics — Singapore  Hospitality — An  Equatorial  Metrop- 
olis— An  Aimless  Existence — The  Growth  of  Singapore — “ Farms” 
and  “ Farmers  ” — The  Staple  of  Conversation — The  Glitter  of 


CONTENTS. 


XI 


PAGE 

“ Barbaric  Gold  ” — A Polyglot  Population — A mediocre  People — 
Female  Grace  and  Beauty — -The  “Asian  Mystery  ” — Oriental  Pict- 
uresqueness— The  Metamorphosis  of  Singapore 135 

LETTER  VIII. 

St,  Andrew’s  Cathedral — Singapore  Harbor  Scenes — Chinese  Prepon- 
derance— First  Impressions  of  Malacca — A Town  “Out  of  the 
Running” 152 


LETTER  IX. 

The  Lieutenant-Governor  of  Malacca — A charming  Household — The 
Old  Stadthaus — A stately  Habitation — An  endless  Siesta — A 
Tropic  Dream — Chinese  Houses — Chinese  Wealth  and  Ascend- 
ency— “Opium  Farming” — The  Malacca  Jungle — Mohamme- 
dan Burial-Places — Malay  Villages — Malay  Characteristics — Cos- 
tume and  Ornament — Bigotry  and  Pilgrimage — The  Malay  Buffalo  159 

LETTER  X. 

Malacca  Mediaevalism — Tiger  Stories — The  Chinese  Carnival — Gold 
and  Gems — A Weight  of  Splendor — New-Year  Rejoicings — Syed 
Abdulrahman — A Mohammedan  Princess — A Haunted  City — 
Francis  Xavier — The  Reward  of  “Pluck” — Projects  of  Travel...  179 

A CHAPTER  ON  SUNGEI  UJONG. 

The  Puzzles  of  the  Peninsula — Sungei  Ujong — A Malay  Confederation 
— Syed  Abdulrahman — The  Revenue  of  Sungei  Ujong — Scenery 
and  Productions — The  new  Datu  Klana — A “ Dual  Control  ”.. . 194 

LETTER  XI. 

A Mangrove  Swamp — Jungle  Dwellers — -The  Sempang  Police  Station 
— Shooting  Alligators — The  River  Linggi — A somber-faced  Throng 
— Stuck  fast  at  Permatang  Pasir — Fair  Impediments 204 

LETTER  XII. 

TheTombof“a  great  Prophet” — “ Durance  Vile  ” — Fragile  Travelers 
— Our  Craft — A Night  in  the  Jungle — Nocturnal  Revelations — 


Xll 


CONTENTS. 


January  in  the  Perak  Jungle — Glories  of  the  Jungle — Activity  and 
Stillness — An  uneasy  Night — A slim  Repast — Betel-Chewing — 
A severe  Disappointment — Police  Station  at  Rassa 


LETTER  XIII. 

The  Appurtenances  of  Civilization — Babu — Characteristics  of  Captain 
Murray — An  Embodied  Government— Chinese  Mining  Enterprise 
— A Chinese  Gaming-house — The  “ Capitans  China  ” — New-Year 
Visits — Sittings  “ In  Equity  ” — A Court  of  Justice — The  Serambang 
Prison — “Plantation  Hill” — A monster  Bonfire — An  Ant  World 
— An  Ant  Funeral — Night  on  “Plantation  Hill” — The  Murder 
of  Mr.  Lloyd — A Chinese  Dragon  Play — A visit  to  a Malay  Prince 
— The  Datu  Bandar’s  House — A great  Temptation — The  Return 
Journey — An  Obituary  Quotation 


A CHAPTER  ON  SELANGOR. 

Selangor — Capabilities  of  Selangor — Natural  Capabilities — Lawlessness 
in  Selangor — British  Interference  in  Selangor — A Hopeful  Outlook. 

LETTER  XIV. 

The  S.  S.  Rainbow — Sunset  at  Malacca — A Night  at  Sea — The  Resi- 
dency at  Klang — Our  “ Next-of-kin  ” — The  decay  of  Klang — A 
remarkable  Chinaman — Theatrical  Magnificence — Misdeed  of  a 
“ Rogue  Elephant  ” — A cobra  ! a cobra  ! ” 

LETTER  XIV.— [Continued.) 

Yachting  in  the  Malacca  Straits — A Tropic  Dream — The  Rajah 
Moussa — Tiger  Stories — A grand  Excitement — A “Man-eating 
Kris” — A Royal  Residence — A Council  of  State — The  Sultan’s  At- 
tendants— The  “ Light  of  the  Harem” — The  Sultan’s  Offering. . . 


LETTER  XV. 

Tiger  Mosquitoes — Insect  Torments — A Hadji’s  Fate — Malay  Custom 
— Oaths  and  Lies — A False  Alarm 


PAGe 

214 


232 


261 


270 


283 


298 


CONTENTS. 


XU1 


LETTER  XVI. 

PAGE 

A Yachting  Voyage — The  Destruction  of  Selangor — Varieties  of  Slime — 
Swamp  Fever — An  Unprosperous  Region — A “ Deadly-lively  ” 
Morning — A Waif  and  Stray— The  Superintendent  of  Police 306 

LETTER  XVII. 

The  Dindings — The  Tragedy  on  Pulu  Pangkor — A Tropic  Sunrise — 

Sir  W.  Robinson’s  Departure — “A  Touch  of  the  Sun” — Kling 
Beauty — A Question  and  Answer — The  Bazars  of  Georgetown — 

The  Chinaman  goes  Ahead — The  Products  of  Pinang — Pepper- 
planting  3T7 


A CHAPTER  ON  PERAK. 

The  Boundaries  and  Rivers  of  Perak — Tin  Mining — Fruits  and  Vege- 
tables— The  Gomuti  Palm — The  Trade  of  Perak — A Future  of 
Coffee — A Hopeful  Lookout — Chinese  Difficulties — Chinese  Dis- 
turbances in  Larut— The  “Pangkor  Treaty” — A “Little  War” — 

The  Settlement  of  Perak — The  Resident  and  Assistant-Resident. . 331 

LETTER  XVIII. 

Province  Wellesley — Water  Buffaloes — A Glorious  Night — Perak  Offi- 
cials— A “ Dismal  Swamp  ” — Elephants  at  Home — Air  Epigram- 
matic Description — The  British  Residency  at  Taipeng — Sultan  Ab- 
dulla’s Boys — A Chinese  Mining  Town — The  “ Armed  Police  ” — 

An  Alligator’s  Victim — Major  Swinburne — A Larut  Dinner  Party 
— A Morning  Hymn 347 


LETTER  XIX. 

The  Chinese  in  Larut — “Monkey  Cups” — Chinese  Hospitality — A 

Sikh  Belle 366 


LETTER  XX. 

Novel  Circumstances — The  Excitements  of  the  Jungle — Eternal  Summer 
— The  Sensitive  Plant — The  Lotus  Lake  of  Matang — Elephant 
Ugliness — A Malay  Mahout — A Novel  Experience— Domestic  Pets 
— Malay  Hospitality — Land  Leeches — “ A Fearful  Joy  ” — The  End 
of  my  first  Elephant  Ride — Kwala  Kangsa 371 


XIV 


CONTENTS. 


LETTER  XX — ( Continued 1) 

PACE 

Mystification — A Grotesque  Dinner-Party — Mahmoud  and  Eblis — Fun 
and  Frolic — Mahmoud’s  Antics — A Perak  Jungle — The  Poetry  of 
Tropical  Life — Village  Life — The  Officials  of  the  Mosques — A Mos- 
lem Funeral — The  “Royal  Elephant” — Swimming  the  Perak — 

The  Village  of  Koto-lamah — A “ Pirate’s  Nest  ” — Rajah  Dris. . . . 390 

LETTER  XX. — ( Continued . ) 

A Joyous  Welcome — A Severe  Mortification — The  British  Resident — 
Daily  Visitors — Rajah  Dris — A Tipsy  Ape — Marriage  Ceremonies 
Marriage  Festivities — Malay  Children — The  Rajah  Muda  Yusuf — 

A Dreary  Funeral — Fascinating  Companionship  — A Cocoa-nut 
Gatherer — The  Argus  Pheasant — An  Opium  Wreck — Rhinoceros 
Horns — Elephant-Taming — Petrifying  Influences  of  Islamism — 

A Dwindling  Race 409 


LETTER  XXL 

A Malay  Interior — Malay  Bird-Scaring — Rice  Culture — Picturesque 
Dismalness — A Bad  Spell — An  Alarm — Possibilities  of  Peril — Pa- 
tience and  Kindness — Masculine  Clatter 433 

LETTER  XXII. 

A Pleasant  Canter — A Morning  Hymn — The  Pass  of  Bukit  Berapit — 

The  “ Wearing  World ’’Again! — A Bad  Spirit — Malay  Demon- 
ology— “Running  Amuck” — An  ^r;zc^-Runner’s  Career — The 
Supposed  Origin  of  Amok — Jungle  Openings  in  Perak — Debt- 
Slavery — The  Fate  of  Three  Runaway  Slaves — Moslem  Prayers — 

“ Living  like  Leeches” — Malay  Proverbs — A “ Ten-thousand-man 
Umbrella” 445 


LETTER  XXIII. 

“ Gang  Murders  ” — Malay  Nicknames — A Persecuted  Infant — The  Last 


of  the  Golden  Chersonese 465-468 

Appendix 469-479 

Index 481 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


The  Author’s  First  Ride  in  Perak Frontispiece 

Orang-outang  (Male  and  Female) Page  18 

Smoking  the  Mosquitoes To  face  page  163 

Elk  Horn  Fern Page  223 

Greater  Moth  Orchid To  face  page  224 

Areca  Palm  (Areca  catechu') “ “ 228 

Police  Station  at  Rassa “ “ 230 

A British  Mari^age  Present “ “ 254 

An  Equatorial  Jungle  Stream “ “ 280 

A Kling Page  323 

Gomuti  Palm, “ 334 

Chinese  Houses  and  Malay  Bathing  Shed,  Kangsa  River. . To  face  page  388 

A Malay  “Dug-out,”  Perak  River “ “ 407 

Street  in  Kwala  Kangsa “ “ 408 

Malay  Youth  and  Maiden Page  418 

An  Opium  Wreck “ 427 

Map At  end 


1 


1 


* 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


INTRODUCTORY  CHAPTER. 

Canton  and  Saigon,  and  whatever  else  is  com- 
prised in  the  second  half  of  my  title,  are  on  one  of 
the  best  beaten  tracks  of  travelers,  and  need  no 
introductory  remarks. 

But  the  Golden  Chersonese  is  still  somewhat 
of  a terra  incognita  ; there  is  no  point  on  its  main- 
land at  which  European  steamers  call,  and  the 
usual  conception  of  it  is  as  a vast  and  malarious 
equatorial  jungle,  sparsely  peopled  by  a race  of 
semi-civilized  and  treacherous  Mohammedans.  In 
fact,  it  is  as  little  known  to  most  people  as  it  was 
to  myself  before  I visited  it;  and  as  reliable  infor- 
mation concerning  it  exists  mainly  in  valuable  vol- 
umes now  out  of  print,  or  scattered  through  blue 
books  and  the  Transactions  of  the  Asiatic  Society 
of  Singapore,  I make  no  apology  for  prefacing  my 
letters  from  the  Malay  Peninsula  with  as  many 
brief  preliminary  statements  as  shall  serve  to  make 
them  intelligible,  requesting  those  of  my  readers 


i 


I 


2 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


who  are  familiar  with  the  subject  to  skip  this  chap- 
ter altogether. 

The  A urea  Chersonesus  of  Ptolemy,  the  “Gol- 
den Chersonese  ” of  Milton,  the  Malay  Peninsula 
of  our  clay,  has  no  legitimate  claim  to  an  ancient 
history.  The  controversy  respecting  the  identity 
of  its  Mount  Ophir  with  the  Ophir  of  Solomon 
has  been  “ threshed  out  ” without  much  result,  and 
the  supposed  allusion  to  the  Malacca  Straits  by 
Pliny  is  too  vague  to  be  interesting. 

The  region  may  be  said  to  have  been  rediscov- 
ered in  1 5 1 3 by  the  Portuguese,  and  the  first  definite 
statement  concerning  it  appears  to  be  in  a letter 
from  Emanuel,  King  of  Portugal,  to  the  Pope.  In 
the  antique  and  exaggerated  language  of  the  day, 
he  relates  that  his  general,  the  famous  Albuquerque, 
after  suprising  conquests  in  India,  had  sailed  to  the 
Aurea  Chersonesus , called  by  its  inhabitants  Ma- 
lacca. He  had  captured  the  city  of  Malacca,  sacked 
it,  slaughtered  the  Moors  (Mohammedans)  who 
defended  it,  destroyed  its  twenty-five  thousand 
houses  abounding  in  gold,  pearls,  precious  stones, 
and  spices,  and  on  its  site  had  built  a fortress  with 
walls  fifteen  feet  thick,  out  of  the  ruins  of  its 
mosques.  The  king,  who  fought  upon  an  elephant, 
was  badly  wounded  and  fleck  Further,  on  hearing 
of  the  victory,  the  King  of  Siam,  from  whom  Ma- 
lacca had  been  “ursurped  by  the  Moors,”  sent  to 
the  conqueror  a cup  of  gold,  a carbuncle,  and  a 
sword  inlaid  with  gold.  This  conquest  was  vaunted 


THE  STRAITS  SETTLEMENTS. 


3 


of  as  a great  triumph  of  the  Cross  over  the  Cres- 
cent, and  as  its  result,  by  the  year  1600  nearly  the 
whole  commerce  of  the  Straits  had  fallen  into  the 
hands  of  the  Portuguese. 

Of  the  remaining  “ Moorish  ” or  Malay  king- 
doms, Acheen,  in  Sumatra,  was  the  most  powerful, 
so  powerful,  indeed,  that  its  king  was  able  to  be- 
siege the  great  stronghold  of  Malacca  more'  than 
once  with  a fleet,  according  to  the  annalist,  of 
“ more  than  five  hundred  sail,  one  hundred  of 
which  were  of  greater  size  than  any  then  constructed 
in  Europe,  and  the  warriors  or  mariners  that  it  bore 
amounted  to  sixty  thousand,  commanded  by  the  king, 
in  person.”  The  first  mention  of  Johore,  or  Jhor, 
and  Perak  occurs  about  the  same  time,  Perak  being 
represented  as  a very  powerful  and  wealthy  State. 

The  Portuguese,  by  their  persevering  and  relent- 
less religious  crusade  against  the  Mohammedans, 
converted  all  the  States  which  were  adjacent  to 
their  conquests  into  enemies,  and  by  1641  their 
empire  in  the  Straits  was  seized  upon  by  the 
Dutch,  who,  not  being  troubled  by  much  religious 
earnestness,  got  on  very  well  with  the  Malay 
Princes,  and  succeeded  in  making  advantageous 
commercial  treaties  with  them. 

A curious  but  fairly  accurate  map  of  the  coasts 
of  the  Peninsula  was  prepared  in  Paris  in  1668  to 
accompany  the  narrative  of  the  French  envoy  to 
the  Court  of  Siam,  but  neither  the  mainland  nor 
the  adjacent  islands  attracted  any  interest  in  this 


4 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


country  till  the  East  India  Company  acquired 
Pinang  in  1775,  Province  Wellesley  in  1798,  Singa- 
pore in  1823,  and  Malacca  in  1824.  These  small 
but  important  colonies  were  consolidated  in  1867 
into  one  Government  under  the  Crown,  and  are  now 
known  as  the  Straits  Settlements,  and  prized  as 
among  the  most  valuable  of  our  possessions  in 
the  Far  East.  Though  these  settlements  are 
merely  small  islands  or  narrow  strips  of  territory 
on  the  coast,  their  population,  by  the  census  of 
1881,  exceeded  four  hundred  and  twenty-two  thou- 
sand souls,  and  in  1880  their  exports  and  imports 
amounted  to  ^32,353,000! 

Besides  these  little  bits  of  British  territory  scat- 
tered along  a coast  line  nearly  four  hundred  miles 
in  length,  there  are,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Penin- 
sula, the  native  States  of  Kedah,  Perak,  Selangor, 
and  Sungei  U jong,  the  last  three  of  which  are  under 
British  “ protection  and  on  the  east  are  Patani, 
Kelantan,  Tringgariu,  and  Pahang;  the  southern 
extremity  being  occupied  by  the  State  of  Johore. 
The  interior,  which  is  scarcely  at  all  known,  con- 
tains toward  its  centre  the  Negri  Sembilan,  a con- 
federation of  eight  (formerly  nine)  small  States. 
The  population  of  the  native  States  of  the  Penin- 
sula is  not  accurately  known,  but,  inclusive  of  a few 
wild  tribes  and  the  Chinese  immigrants,  it  is  esti- 
mated at  three  hundred  and  ten  thousand  ; which 
gives  under  nine  inhabitants  to  the  square  mile, 
the  population  of  the  British  settlements  being 


AREA  OF  THE  PENINSULA.  5 

about  four  hundred  and  twenty  to  the  square 
mile. 

The  total  length  of  the  Peninsula  is  eight  hun- 
dred miles,  and  its  breadth  varies  from  sixty  to  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles.  It  runs  down  from  lat. 
1 30  50'  N.  to  i°  41'  N.  The  northern  part,  form- 
ing the  Isthmus  of  Kraw,  which  it  is  proposed  to 
pierce  for  a ship  canal,  runs  nearly  due  north  and 
south  for  one  hundred  and  forty  miles,  and  is  in- 
habited by  a mixed  race,  mainly  Siamese,  called  by 
the  Malays  Sansam.  This  Isthmus  is  under  the 
rule  of  Siam,  which  is  its  northern  boundary  ; and 
the  northern  and  eastern  States  of  Kedah,  Patani, 
Kelantan,  Pahang,  and  Tringganu,  are  more  or  less 
tributary  to  this  ambitious  empire,  which  at  inter- 
vals has  exacted  a golden  rose,  the  token  of  vassal- 
age,  from  every  State  in  the  Penin-sula.  Except 
at  the  point  where  the  Isthmus  of  Kraw  joins  Siam, 
the  Peninsula  is  surrounded  by  the  sea — to  the 
east  by  the  China  Sea  and  the  Gulf  of  Siam,  and 
to  the  south  and  west  by  the  Straits  of  Malacca 
and  the  Bay  of  Bengal.  The  area  of  the  mainland 
is  conjectured  to  be  the  same  as  that  of  Britain, 
but  the  region  occupied  by  the  Malays  does  not 
exceed  sixty-one  thousand  one  hundred  and  fifty 
square  miles,  and  is  about  half  the  size  of  Java. 

Its  configuration  is  not  very  well  known,  but  a 
granitic  mountain  chain,  rising  in  Perak  to  ascer- 
tained heights  of  eight  thousand  feet,  runs  down 
its  whole  length  near  the  centre,  with  extensive 


b 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


outlying  spurs,  and  alluvial  plains  on  both  sides 
densely  covered  with  jungle,  as  are  also  the  mount- 
ains. There  are  no  traces  of  volcanic  formation, 
though  thermal  springs  exist  in  Malacca.  The 
rivers  are  numerous,  but  with  one  exception  small, 
and  are  seldom  navigable  beyond  the  reach  of  the 
tides,  except  by  flat-bottomed  boats.  It  is  believed 
that  there  are  scarcely  any  lakes. 

The  general  formation  is  granitic,  overlaid  by 
sandstone,  laterite  or  clay  ironstone,  and  to  the 
north  by  limestone.  Iron  ores  are  found  every- 
where, and  are  so  little  regarded  for  their  metallic 
contents  that,  though  containing,  according  to  Mr. 
Logan,  a skillful  geologist,  sixty  per  cent,  of  pure 
metal,  they  are  used  in  Singapore  for  macadamizing 
the  roads  ! Gold  has  been  obtained  in  all  ages, 
and  formerly  in  considerable  quantities,  but  the  an- 
nual yield  does  not  now  exceed  nineteen  thousand 
ounces.  The  vastest  tin  fields  in  the  world  are 
found  in  the  western  Malay  States,  and  hitherto 
the  produce  has  been  “ stream  tin  ” only,  the  metal 
not  having  been  traced  to  its  veins  in  the  rock. 

The  map,  the  result  of  recent  surveys  by  Mr. 
Daly,  and  published  in  1882  by  the  Royal  Geo- 
graphical Society,  shows  that  there  is  a vast  extent, 
more  than  half  of  the  Malay  Peninsula,  unexplored. 
Its  most  laborious  explorer  confesses  that  “of  the 
internal  government,  geography,  mineral  products, 
and  geology  of  these  regions,  we  do  not  know  any- 
thing,” and,  he  adds,  that  “ even  in  this  nineteenth 


A TERRA  INCOGNITA. 


1 


century,  a country  rich  in  its  resources,  and  impor- 
tant through  its  contiguity  to  our  British  posses- 
sions, is  still  a closed  volume.”  “ If  we  let  the 
needle  in,  the  thread  is  sure  to  follow”  (meaning 
that  if  they  let  an  Englishman  pass  through  their 
territories,  British  annexation  would  be  the  natural 
sequence),  was  the  reason  given  to  Mr.  Daly  for 
turning-  him  back  from  the  States  of  the  Negri 
Sembilan. 

The  climate  is  singularly  healthy  for  Europeans 
as  well  as  natives,  although  both  hot  and  moist,  as 
may  be  expected  from  being  so  close  to  the  equa- 
tor. Besides,  the  Peninsula  is  very  nearly  an  insu- 
lar region  ; it  is  densely  covered  with  evergreen 
forests,  and  few  parts  of  it  are  more  than  fifty 
miles  from  the  sea.  There  are  no  diseases  of  cli- 
mate except  marsh  fevers,  which  assail  Europeans  if 
they  camp  out  at  night  on  low,  swampy  grounds. 

In  50  15'  N.,  about  the  latitude  of  the  northern 
boundary  of  Perak,  at  the  sea-level  the  mean  an- 
nual temperature  is  nearly  8o°,  with  a range  of 
200;  at  Malacca  in  2°  14'  N.  it  is  8o°,  with  a range 
of  15;  and  at  Singapore,  in  lat.  i°  17',  it  is  82°,  with 
a range  of  240.  Though  the  climate  is  undeniably 
a “hot”  one,  the  heat,  tempered  by  alternating  land 
and  sea  breezes,  is  seldom  oppressive  except  just 
before  rain,  and  the  thermometer  never  attains  any- 
thing approaching  those  torrid  temperatures  which 
are  registered  in  India,  Japan,  the  United  States, 
and  other  parts  of  the  temperate  zones. 


8 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


The  rainfall  is  not  excessive,  averaging  about  one 
hundred  and  ten  inches  annually,  and  there  is  no 
regular  rainy  season.  In  fact  it  rains  in  modera- 
tion all  the  year  round.  Three  days  seldom  pass 
without  refreshing  showers,  and  if  there  are  ten 
rainless  days  together,  a rare  phenomenon,  people 
begin  to  talk  of  “the  drought.”  Practically  the 
year  is  divided  into  two  parts  by  the  “ monsoons.”* 
The  monsoon  is  not  a storm,  as  many  people  sup- 
pose, from  a vague  association  of  the  word  “ ty- 
phoon,” but  a steady  wind  blowing,  in  the  case  of 
the  Malay  Peninsula,  for  six  months  from  the  north- 
east, bringing  down  the  Chinamen  in  their  junks, 
and  for  six  months  from  the  southwest,  bringing 
traders  from  Arabia  and  India.  The  climate  is  the 
pleasantest  during  the  north-east  monsoon,  which 
lasts  from  October  to  April.  It  is  during  the  south- 
west monsoon  that  the  heavier  rains,  accompanied 
by  electrical  disturbances,  occur.  The  central 
mountain  range  protects  the  Peninsula  alternately 
from  both  monsoons,  the  high  Sumatran  mountains 
protecting  its  west  side  from  the  south-west  winds. 
The  east  side  is  exposed  for  six  months  to  a 
modified  north-east  monsoon.  Everywhere  else 
throughout  the  almost  changeless  year,  steadily 
alternating  land  and  sea  breezes  with  gentle  variable 
winds  and  calms  prevail,  interrupted  occasionally 
on  the  west  coast  during  the  “summer”  by  squalls 

* This  word  is  recognized  as  a corruption  by  Portuguese  and  British 
tongues  of  the  Arabic  word  musim , “ season.” 


PRODUCTS  OF  THE  PENINSULA. 


9 


from  the  south-west,  which  last  for  one  or  two 
hours,  and  are  known  as  “ Sumatrans.”  Hurricanes 
and  earthquakes  are  unknown.  Drenching  dews 
fall  on  clear  nights. 

The  Peninsula  is  a gorgeous  tropic  land,  and, 
with  its  bounteous  rainfall  and  sunshine,  brings 
forth  many  of  the  most  highly  prized  productions 
of  the  tropics,  with  some  that  are  peculiar  to  itself. 
Its  botany  is  as  yet  very  imperfectly  known.  Some 
of  its  forest  trees  are  very  valuable  as  timber,  and 
others  produce  hard-veined  woods  which  take  a 
high  polish.  Rattans,  Malacca  canes,  and  gutta 
are  well  known  as  among  its  forest  products  ; gutta, 
with  its  extensive  economical  uses,  having  been 
used  only  for  Malay  horsewhips  and  knife-handles 
previous  to  1843.  The  wild  nutmeg  is  indigenous, 
and  the  nutmeg  of  commerce  and  the  clove  have 
been  introduced  and  thrive.  Pepper  and  some 
other  spices  flourish,  and  the  soil  with  but  a little 
cultivation  produces  rice  wet  and  dry,  tapioca, 
gambir,  sugar-cane,  coffee,  yams,  sweet  potatoes, 
cocoa,  sago,  cotton,  tea,  cinchona,  india  rubber,  and 
indicm.  Still  it  is  doubtful  whether  a soil  can  be 

o 

called  fertile  which  is  incapable  of  producing  the 
best  kinds  of  cereals.  European  vegetables  are  on 
the  whole  a dismal  failure.  Conservatism  in  diet 
must  be  given  up  by  Europeans ; the  yam,  edible 
arum,  and  sweet  potato  must  take  the  place  of  the 
“ Irish  potato,”  and  water-melons  and  cucumbers 
that  of  our  peas,  beans,  artichokes,  cabbages,  and 


IO 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


brocoli.  The  Chinese  raise  coarse  radishes  and 
lettuce,  and  possibly  the  higher  grounds  may  some 
day  be  turned  into  market  gardens.  The  fruits, 
however,  are  innumerable,  as  well  as  wholesome 
and  delicious.  Amonof  them  the  durion  is  the  most 
esteemed  by  the  natives,  and  the  mangosteen  by 
Europeans. 

The  fauna  of  the  Peninsula  is  most  remarkable 
and  abundant ; indeed,  much  of  its  forest-covered 
interior  is  inhabited  by  wild  beasts  alone,  and 
gigantic  pachyderms,  looking  like  monsters  of  an 
earlier  age,  roam  unmolested  over  vast  tracts  of 
country.  Among  this  thick-skinned  family  are  the 
elephant,  the  one-horned  rhinoceros,  the  Malayan 
tapir,  and  the  wild  hog;  the  last  held  in  abomination 
by  the  Malays,  but  constituting  the  chief  animal  food 
of  some  of  the  wild  tribes. 

A small  bear  with  a wistful  face  represents  the 
Plantigrade  family.  The  Ouadrumana  are  very 
numerous.  There  are  nine  monkeys,  one,  if  not 
two  apes,  and  a lemur  or  sloth,  which  screens  its 
eyes  from  the  light. 

Of  the  Digdtisfrada  there  are  the  otter  or  water- 
dog,  the  mu  sang  and  climbing  musang,  the  civet 
cat,  the  royal  tiger,  the  spotted  black  tiger,  in  whose 
glossy  raven-black  coat  the  characteristic  markings 
are  seen  in  certain  lights  ; the  tiger  cat,  the  leopard, 
the  Java  cat,  and  four  or  five  others.  Many  of 
these  feline  animals  abound. 

Among  the  ruminants  are  four  species  of  deer, 


FA  UNA  OF  THE  PENINSULA.  I I 

two  smaller  than  a hare,  and  one  as  large  as  an  elk  ; 
a wild  goat  similar  to  the  Sumatran  antelope  ; the 
domestic  goat,  a mean  little  beast;  the  buffalo,  a 
great,  nearly  hairless,  gray  or  pink  beast,  bigger 
than  the  buffalo  of  China  and  India  ; a short-legged 
domestic  ox,  and  two  wild  oxen  or  bisons,  which 
are  rare. 

The  bat  family  is  not  numerous.  The  vampire 
flies  high,  in  great  flocks,  and  is  very  destructive  to 
fruit.  This  frugiverous  bat,  known  popularly  as 
the  “ flying  fox,”  is  a very  interesting-looking 
animal,  and  is  actually  eaten  by  the  people  of  Ter- 
nate.  At  the  height  of  the  fruit  season,  thousands 
of  these  creatures  cross  from  Sumatra  to  the  main- 
land,  a distance  never  less  than  forty  miles.  Their 
strength  of  wing  is  enormous.  I saw  one  captured 
in  the  steamer  Nevada , forty-five  miles  from  the 
Navigators,  with  wings  measuring,  when  extended, 
nearly  five  feet  across.  These  are  formed  of  a jet 
black  membrane,  and  have  a highly  polished  claw 
at  the  extremity  of  each.  The  feet  consist  of  five 
polished  black  claws,  with  which  the  bat  hangs  on, 
head  downward,  to  the  forest  trees.  His  body  is 
about  twice  the  size  of  that  of  a very  large  rat, 
black  and  furry  underneath,  and  with  red  foxy  fur 
on  the  head  and  neck.  He  has  a pointed  face,  a 
very  black  nose,  and  prominent  black  eyes,  with  a 
remorseless  expression  in  them.  An  edible  bat  of 
vagrant  habits  is  also  found. 

Ponies  are  imported  from  Sumatra,  and  a few 


I 2 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


horses  from  Australia,  but  the  latter  do  not 
thrive. 

The  domestic  cat  always  looks  as  if  half  his  tail 
had  been  taken  off  in  a trap.  The  domestic  dog  is 
the  Asiatic,  not  the  European  dog,  a leggy,  ugly, 
vagrant,  uncared-for  fellow,  furnishing  a useful 
simile  and  little  more. 

Weasels,  squirrels,  polecats,  porcupines,  and  other 
small  animals  exist  in  numbers,  and  the  mermaid, 
of  the  genus  Halicore,  connects  the  inhabitants  of 
the  land  and  water.  This  Duyong , described  as  a 
creature  seven  or  eight  feet  long,  with  a head  like 
that  of  an  elephant  deprived  of  its  proboscis,  and 
the  body  and  tail  of  a fish,  frequents  the  Sumatran 
and  Malayan  shores,  and  its  flesh  is  held  in  great 
estimation  at  the  tables  of  sultans  and  rajahs.  Be- 
sides these  (and  the  list  is  long  enough)  there  are 
many  small  beasts. 

The  reptiles  are  unhappily  very  numerous.  Crau- 
furd  mentions  forty  species  of  snakes,  including  the 
python  and  the  cobra.  Alligators  in  great  numbers 
infest  the  tidal  waters  of  the  rivers.  Iguanas  and 
lizards  of  several  species,  marsh-frogs,  and  green 
tree-frogs  abound.  The  land-leeches  are  agreat  pest. 
Scorpions  and  centipedes  are  abundant.  There 
are  many  varieties  of  ants,  among  them  a formidable- 
looking  black  creature  nearly  two  inches  long,  a large 
red  ant,  whose  bite  is  like  a bad  pinch  from  forceps, 
and  which  is  the  chief  source  of  formic  acid,  and  the 
termes,  or  white  ant,  most  destructive  to  timber. 


REPTILES  AND  INSECTS. 


13 


The  carpenter  beetle  is  also  found,  an  industrious 
insect,  which  riddles  the  timber  of  any  building  in 
which  he  effects  a lodgment,  and  is  as  destructive 
as  dry  rot.  There  are  bees  and  wasps,  and  hornets 
of  large  size,  and  a much-dreaded  insect,  possibly 
not  yet  classified,  said  to  be  peculiar  to  the  Penin- 
sula, which  inflicts  so  severe  a wound  as  to  make  a 
strong  man  utter  a cry  of  agony.  But  of  all  the 
pests  the  mosquitos  are  the  worst.  A resident  may 
spend  some  time  in  the  country  and  know  nothing 
from  experience  of  scorpions,  centipedes,  land- 
leeches,  and  soldier  ants,  but  he  cannot  escape  from 
the  mosquito,  the  curse  of  these  well-watered 
tropic  regions.  In  addition  to  the  night  mosquito, 
there  is  a striped  variety  of  large  size,  known 
as  the  “ tiger  mosquito,”  much  to  be  feared, 
for  it  pursues  its  bloodthirsty  work  in  the  day- 
time. 

Among  the  harmless  insects  may  be  mentioned 
the  cicada,  which  fills  the  forest  with  its  cheery  din, 
the  green  grasshopper,  spiders,  and  flies  of  several 
species,  dragon-flies  of  large  size  and  brilliant 
coloring,  and  butterflies  and  moths  of  surpassing 
beauty,  which  delight  in  the  hot,  moist,  jungle 
openings,  and  even  surpass  the  flowers  in  the  glory 
and  variety  of  their  hues.  Among  them  the  atlas 
moth  is  found,  measuring  from  eight  to  ten  inches 
across  its  wings.  The  leaf  insects  are  also  fascinat- 
ing, and  the  fire-flies  in  a mangrove  swamp  on  a 
dark,  still  night,  moving  in  gentle  undulations,  or 


i4 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


flashing  into  coruscations  after  brief  intervals  of 
quiescence,  are  inconceivably  beautiful. 

The  birds  of  the  Peninsula  are  many  and  beauti- 
ful. Sun-birds  rival  the  flashing  colors  of  the  hum- 
ming-birds  in  the  jungle  openings  ; king-fishers  of 
large  size  and  brilliant  blue  plumage  make  the  river 
banks  gay  ; shrieking  paroquets  with  coral-colored 
beaks  and  tender  green  feathers,  abound  in  the 
forests  ; great,  heavy-billed  hornbills  hop  cumbrously 
from  branch  to  branch,  rivaling  in  their  awkward 
gait  the  rhinoceros  hornbills  ; the  Javanese  peacock, 
with  its  gorgeous  tail  and  neck  covered  with  irides- 
cent green  feathers  instead  of  blue  ones,  moves 
majestically  along  the  jungle  tracks,  together  with 
the  ocellated  pheasant,  the  handsome  and  high- 
couraged  jungle  cock,  and  the  glorious  Argus 
pheasant,  a bird  of  twilight  and  night,  with  “ a hun- 
dred eyes  ” on  each  feather  of  its  stately  tail. 

According  to  Mr.  Newbold,  two  birds  of  para- 
dise ( Paradisea  regia  and  Paradisea  gularis ) are 
natives  of  the  Peninsula,"'  and  among  other  bright- 
winged creatures  are  the  glorious  crimson-feathered 
pergam,  the  penciled  pheasant,  the  peacock  pheas- 
ant, the  blue  pheasant  partridge,  the  mina,  and  the 
dial  bird,  with  an  endless  variety  of  parrots,  lories, 
green-feathered  pigeons  of  various  sizes,  and  wood- 
peckers. Besides  these  there  are  falcons,  owls,  or 

* Mr.  Newbold  is  ordinarily  so  careful  and  accurate  that  it  is  almost  pre- 
sumptuous to  hint  that  in  this  particular  case  he  may  not  have  been  able  to 
verify  the  statements  of  the  natives  by  actual  observation. 


BIRDS  AND  FISH. 


15 


“spectre  birds,”  sweet-voiced  butcher  birds,  storks, 
fly-catchers,  and  doves,  and  the  swallow  which 
builds  the  gelatinous  edible  nest,  which  is  the  foun- 
dation of  the  expensive  luxury  “ Bird’s  Nest  Soup,” 
frequents  the  verdant  islands  on  the  coast. 

Nor  are  our  own  water  birds  wanting.  There 
are  bitterns,  rails,  wild-duck,  teal,  snipes ; the  com- 
mon, gray,  and  whistling  plover  ; green,  black,  and 
red  quails  ; and  the  sport  on  the  plains  and  reedy 
marshes,  and  along  the  banks  of  rivers,  is  most 
excellent. 

Turtles  abound  off  the  coast,  and  tortoises,  one 
variety  with  a hard  shell,  and  the  other  with  a soft 
one  and  a rapid  movement,  are  found  in  swampy 
places.  The  river  fish  are  neither  abundant  nor 
much  esteemed  ; but  the  sea  furnishes  much  of  the 
food  of  both  Malays  and  Chinese,  and  the  dried 
and  salted  fish  prepared  on  the  coast  is  considered 
very  good. 

At  European  tables  in  the  settlements  the  red 
mullet,  a highly  prized  fish,  the  pomfret,  considered 
more  delicious  than  the  turbot,  and  the  tungeree, 
with  cray-fish,  crabs,  prawns,  and  shrimps,  are 
usually  seen.  The  tongue-fish,  something  like  a 
sole,  the  gray  mullet,  the  hammer-headed  shark, 
and  various  fish,  with  vivid  scarlet  and  yellow 
stripes  alternating  with  black,  are  eaten,  along  with 
cockles,  “ razor  shells,”  and  king-crabs.  The  lover 
of  fishy  beauty  is  abundantly  gratified  by  the  mul- 
titudes of  fish  of  brilliant  colors,  together  with  large 


I 6 THE  GOLD  EH  CHERSONESE. 

medusae,  which  dart  or  glide  through  the  sunlit 
waters  among  the  coral-groves,  where  every  coral 
spray  is  gemmed  with  zoophytes,  whose  rainbow- 
tinted  arms  sway  with  the  undulations  of  the  water, 
and  where  sea-snakes  writhe  themselves  away  into 
the  recesses  of  coral  caves. 

Nature  is  so  imposing,  so  magnificent,  and  so 
prolific  on  the  Malay  Peninsula,  that  one  naturally 
gives  man  the  secondary  place  which  I have  as- 
signed to  him  in  this  chapter.  The  whole  popula- 
tion of  the  Golden  Chersonese,  a region  as  lar^e  as 
Great  Britain,  is  not  more  than  three-quarters  of 
a million,  and  less  than  a half  of  this  is  Malay. 
Neither  great  wars,  nor  an  ancient  history,  nor  a 
valuable  literature,  nor  stately  ruins,  nor  barbaric 
splendors,  attract  scholars  or  sight-seers  to  the 
Peninsula. 

The  Malays  are  not  the  Aborigines  of  this  singu- 
lar spit  of  land,  and  they  are  its  colonists  rather 
than  its  conquerors.  Their  histories,  which  are 
chiefly  traditional,  state  that  the  extremity  of  the 
Peninsula  was  peopled  by  a Malay  emigration  from 
Sumatra  about  the  middle  of  the  twelfth  century, 
and  that  the  descendants  of  these  colonists  settled 
Malacca  and  other  places  on  the  coast  about  a cent- 
ury later.  Tradition  refers  the  peopling  of  the  in- 
terior States  to  another  and  later  migration  from 
Sumatra,  with  a chief  at  its  head,  who,  with  all  his 
followers,  married  Aboriginal  wives  ; the  Aboriginal 
tribes  retreating  into  the  jungles  and  mountains  as 


WILD  AND  CIVILIZED  LACES.  IJ 

the  Malays  spread  themselves  over  the  region  now 
known  as  the  States  of  the  Negri  Sembilan.  The 
conquest  or  colonization  of  the  Malay  Peninsula  by 
the  Malays  is  not,  however,  properly  speaking, 
matter  of  history,  and  the  origin  of  the  Malay  race 
and  its  early  history  are  only  matters  of  more  or 
less  reasonable  hypothesis.  It  is  fair,  however,  to 
presume  that  Sumatra  was  the  ancient  seat  of  the 
race,  and  the  wonderful  valley  of  Menangkabau, 
surrounded  by  mountains  ten  thousand  feet  in 
height,  that  of  its  earliest  civilization.  The  only 
Malay  “ colonial  ” kingdoms  on  the  Peninsula  which 
ever  attained  any  importance  were  those  of  Ma- 
lacca and  Johore,  and  even  their  reliable  history 
begins  with  the  arrival  of  the  Portuguese.  The 
conversion  of  the  Sumatra  Malays  to  Mohamme- 
danism arose  mainly  out  of  their  commerical  inter- 
course with  Arabia  ; it  was  slow,  not  violent,  and 
is  supposed  to  have  begun  in  the  thirteenth  century. 

A population  of  “Wild  Tribes,”  variously  esti- 
mated at  from  eight  thousand  to  eleven  thousand 
souls,  is  still  found  in  the  Peninsula,  and  even  if 
research  should  eventually  prove  them  not  to  be 
its  Aborigines,  they  are,  without  doubt,  the  same 
races  which  were  found  inhabiting  it  by  the  earliest 
Malay  colonists. 

These  are  frequently  called  by  the  Malays 
“ Orang  Benua,”  or  “ men  of  the  country,”  but  they 
are  likewise  called  “ Orancr-outanor  ” the  name 

o o 1 

which  we  apply  to  the  big  ape  of  Borneo.  The  ac- 


2 


1 8 THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

companying  engraving  represents  very  faithfully  the 
“ Orang-outang  ” of  the  interior.  The  few  accounts 


orang-outang  (male  and  female). 

given  of  the  wild  tribes  vary  considerably,  but  ap- 
parently they  may  be  divided  into  two  classes,  the 


THE  SAMANGS  AND  ORANG-OUTANG.  19 

Samangs,  or  Oriental  Negroes  or  Negritos  and 
the.  Orang  Benua,  frequently  called  Jakuns,  and  in 
Perak  Sakei.  By  the  Malays  they  are  called  in- 
discriminately Kafirs  or  infidels,  and  are  interesting 
to  them  only  in  so  far  as  they  can  use  them  for 
bearing  burdens,  clearing  jungle,  procuring  gutta, 
and  in  child-stealing  ; an  abominable  Malay  custom, 
which,  it  is  hoped,  has  received  its  death-blow  in 
Perak  at  least. 

The  Samangs  are  about  the  same  height  as  the 
Malays,  but  their  hair,  instead  of  being  lank  and 
straight  like  theirs,  is  short  and  curly,  though  not 
woolly  like  that  of  the  African  negro,  and  their 
complexions,  or  rather  skins,  are  of  a dark  brown, 
nearly  black.  Their  noses,  it  is  said,  incline  to  be 
flat,  their  foreheads  recede,  and  their  lips  are  thick. 
They  live  in  rude  and  easily  removable  huts  made 
of  leaves  and  branches,  subsist  on  jungle  birds, 
beasts,  roots,  and  fruits,  and  wear  a scanty  cover- 
ing made  from  the  inner  bark  of  a species  of 
Artocarpus.  They  are  expert  hunters,  and  have 
most  ingenious  methods  of  capturing  both  the 
elephant  and  the  “ recluse  rhinoceros.”  They  are 
divided  into  tribes,  which  are  ruled  by  chiefs  on  the 
patriarchal  system.  Of  their  customs  and  beliefs, 
if  they  have  any^,  almost  nothing  is  known.  They 
are  singularly  shy,  and  shun  intercourse  with  men 
of  other  races.  It  has  been  supposed  that  they 
worship  the  sun. 

The  Orang  Benua  or  Orang-outang,  frequently 


20 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


called  Sakeis  or  Jakuns,  consist  of  various  tribes 
with  different  names,  thinly  scattered  among  the 
forests  of  the  chain  of  mountains  which  runs  down 
the  middle  of  the  Peninsula  from  Kedah  to  Point 
Romania.'"'  In  appearance  and  color  they  greatly 
resemble  the  Malays,  and  there  is  a very  strong 
general  resemblance  between  their  dialects  and 
pure  Malayan.  They  have  remarkably  bright  and 
expressive  eyes,  with  nothing  Mongolian  about 
their  internal  angles,  and  the  forehead  is  low  rather 
than  receding.  The  mouth  is  wide  and  the  lips  are 
large,  the  lower  part  of  the  face  projects,  the  nose 
is  small,  the  nostrils  are  divergent,  and  the  cheek- 
bones are  prominent.  The  hair  is  black,  but  it 
often  looks  rusty  or  tawny  from  exposure  to  the 
sun,  against  which  it  is  their  only  protection.  It  is 
very  abundant  and  long,  and  usually  matted  and 
curly,  but  not  woolly.  They  have  broad  chests  and 
very  sturdy  muscular  limbs.  They  are,  however, 
much  shorter  in  stature  than  the  Malays,  the  men 
in  some  of  the  tribes  rarely  exceeding  four  feet 
eight  inches  in  height,  and  the  women  four  feet 
four.  Their  clothing  consists  of  a bark  cloth  waist- 
cloth.  Some  of  the  tribes  live  in  huts  of  the  most 
primitive  description  supported  on  posts,  while 
others,  often  spoken  of  as  the  “tree  people,”  build 


* I was  so  fortunate  as  to  see  two  adult  male  Jakuns  and  one  female,  but 
my  information  respecting  them  is  derived  chiefly  from  Mr.  Syers,  Super- 
intendent of  Police  in  Selangor,  and  from  Mr.  Maxwell,  the  Assistant- 
Resident  in  Perak. 


THE  RA  YET,  OR  ORANG  LA  UT.  2 I 

wigwams  on  platforms,  mainly  supported  by  the 
forking  branches  of  trees,  at  a height  of  from 
twenty  to  thirty  feet.  These  wild  people,  says  Mr. 
Daly,  lead  a gregarious  life,  rarely  remaining  long 
in  one  place  for  fear  of  their  wives  and  children 
being  kidnapped  by  the  Malays.  They  fly  at  the 
approach  of  strangers.  As  a rule,  their  life  is 
nomadic,  and  they  live  by  hunting,  fishing,  and 
on  jungle  fruits.  They  are  divided  into  tribes 
governed  by  elders.  They  reverence  the  sun,  but 
have  no  form  of  worship,  and  are  believed  to  be 
destitute  of  even  the  most  rudimentary  ideas  of 
religion.  Their  weapon  is  the  sumpitan,  a blow- 
gun,  from  which  poisoned  arrows  are  expelled. 
They  have  no  ceremonies  at  birth,  marriage,  or 
death.  They  are  monogamists,  and,  according  to 
Mr.  Syers,  extremely  affectionate.  One  of  their 
strongest  emotions  is  fear,  and  their  timidity  is  so 
great  that  they  frequently  leave  the  gutta  which 
they  have  collected  at  the  foot  of  the  tree,  not 
daring  to  encounter  the  trader  from  whom  they 
expect  some  articles  in  exchange ; while  the  fear  of 
ridicule,  according  to  Mr.  Maxwell,  keeps  them  far 
from  the  haunts  of  the  Malays. 

The  Rayet,  or  Orang  Laut,  “subjects,”  or  men  of 
the  sea,  inhabit  the  coast  and  the  small  islets  off  the 
coast,  erecting  temporary  sheds  when  they  go  ashore 
to  build  boats,  mend  nets,  or  collect  gum-damar 
and  wood  oil,  but  usually  living  in  their  boats. 
They  differ  little  from  the  Malays,  who,  however, 


22 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


they  look  down  upon  as  an  inferior  race,  except  that 
they  are  darker  and  more  uncouth  looking.  They 
have  no  religious  (!)  beliefs  but  in  the  influence 
of  evil  spirits,  to  whom  at  times  they  perform  a few 
propitiatory  rites.  Many  of  them  become  Moham- 
medans. They  live  almost  entirely  upon  fish.  They 
are  altogether  restless  and  impatient  of  control, 
but,  unlike  some  savages,  are  passionately  fond 
of  music,  and  are  most  ingenious  in  handicrafts, 
specially  in  boat-building. 

The  Chinese  in  the  Peninsula  and  on  the  small 
islands  of  Singapore  and  Pinang  are  estimated  at 
two  hundred  and  forty  thousand,  and  their  numbers 
are  rapidly  increasing,  owing  to  direct  immigration 
from  China.  It  is  by  their  capital,  industry,  and 
enterprise  that  the  resources  of  the  Peninsula  are 
being  developed.  The  date  of  their  arrival  is  un- 
known, but  the  Portuguese  found  them  at  Malacca 

o 

more  than  three  centuries  ago.  They  have  been 
settled  in  Pinang  and  Singapore  for  ninety-three 
and  sixty-three  years  respectively  ; but  except  that 
they  have  given  up  the  barbarous  custom  of  crush- 
ing the  feet  of  girls,  they  are,  in  customs,  dress,  and 
habits,  the  exact  counterparts  of  the  Chinese  of 
Canton  or  Amoy.  Many  of  them  have  become  con- 
verts to  Christianity,  but  this  has  not  led  to  the 
discarding  of  their  queues  or  national  costume. 
The  Chinese  who  are  born  in  the  Straits  are  called 
Babas.  The  immigrant  Chinese,  who  are  called 
Sinkehs , are  much  despised  by  the  Babas,  who  glory 


THE  MALA  YS. 


23 


specially  in  being  British-born  subjects.  The 
Chinese  promise  to  be  in  some  sort  the  commercial 
rulers  of  the  Straits. 

The  Malays  proper  inhabit  the  Malay  Peninsula, 
and  almost  all  the  coast  regions  of  Borneo  and 
Sumatra.  They  all  speak  more  or  less  purely  the 
Malay  language  ; they  are  all  Mohammedans,  and 
they  all  write  in  the  Arabic  character.  Their  color 
is  a lightish,  olive-tinted,  reddish  brown.  Their 
hair  is  invariably  black,  straight,  and  coarse,  and 
their  faces  and  bodies  are  nearly  hairless.  They 
have  broad  and  slightly  flat  faces,  with  high  cheek 
bones  ; wide  mouths,  with  broad  and  shapely  lips ; 
well  formed  chins,  low  foreheads,  black  eyes,  ob- 
lique, but  not  nearly  so  much  so  as  those  of  the 
Chinese,  and  smallish  noses,  with  broad  and  very 
open  nostrils.  They  vary  little  in  their  height, 
which  is  below  that  of  the  average  European. 
Their  frames  are  lithe  and  robust,  their  chests  are 
broad,  their  hands  are  small  and  refined,  and  their 
feet  are  thick  and  short.  The  men  are  not  hand- 
some, and  the  women  are  decidedly  ugly.  Both 
sexes  look  old  very  early. 

The  Malays  undoubtedly  must  be  numbered 
among  civilized  peoples.  They  live  in  houses  which 
are  more  or  less  tasteful  and  secluded.  They  are 
well  clothed  in  garments  of  both  native  and  foreign 
manufacture  ; they  are  a settled  and  agricultural 
people  ; they  are  skilful  in  some  of  the  arts,  specially 
in  the  working  of  gold  and  the  damascening  of 


24 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


krises ; the  upper  classes  are  to  some  extent  edu- 
cated ; they  have  a literature,  even  though  it  be  an 
imported  one,  and  they  have  possessed  for  centuries 
systems  of  government  and  codes  of  land  and  mari- 
time laws  which,  in  theory  at  least,  show  a consider- 
able decree  of  enlightenment. 

Their  religion,  laws,  customs,  and  morals  are 
bound  up  together.  They  are  strict  Mussulmen, 
but  among  the  uneducated  especially  they  mix  up 
their  own  traditions  and  superstitions  with  the 
Koran.  The  pilgrimage  to  Mecca  is  the  universal 
object  of  Malay  ambition.  They  practice  relic 
worship,  keep  the  fast  of  Ramadhan,  wear  rosaries 
of  beads,  observe  the  hours  of  prayer  with  their 
foreheads  on  the  earth,  provide  for  the  “ religious 
welfare  ” of  their  villages,  circumcise  their  children, 
offer  buffaloes  in  sacrifice  at  the  religious  ceremo- 
nies connected  with  births  and  marriages,  build 
mosques  everywhere,  regard  Mecca  as  the  holy  city, 
and  the  Koran,  as  expounded  by  Arab  teachers,  as 
the  rule  of  faith  and  practice. 

Much  learning  has  been  expended  upon  the  ori- 
gin of  Malayan,  but  it  has  not  been  reliably  traced 
beyond  the  ancient  empire  of  Menangkabau  in 
Sumatra.  Mohammedanism  undoubtedly  brought 
with  it  a large  introduction  of  Arabic  words,  and 
the  language  itself  is  written  in  the  Arabic  charac- 
ter. It  has  been  estimated  by  that  most  painstak- 
ing and  learned  scholar,  Mr.  Crawfurd,  that  one 
hundred  parts  of  modern  Malayan  are  composed  of 


LANGUAGE  AND  LITERATURE. 


25 


twenty-seven  parts  of  primitive  Malayan,  fifty  of 
Polynesian,  sixteen  of  Sanskrit,  five  of  Arabic,  and 
two  of  adventitious  words,  the  Arabic  predominat- 
ing in  all  literature  relating  to  religion.  Malay  is 
the  lingua  franca  of  the  Straits  Settlements,  and  in 
the  seaports  a number  of  Portuguese  and  Dutch 
words  have  been  incorporated  with  it. 

The  Malays  can  hardly  be  said  to  have  an  indig- 
enous literature,  for  it  is  almost  entirely  derived 
from  Persia,  Siam,  Arabia,  and  Java.  Arabic  is 
their  sacred  language.  They  have,  however,  a*cele- 
brated  historic  Malay  romance  called  the  Hang 
Tuah,  parts  of  which. are  frequently  recited  in  their 
villages  after  sunset  prayers  by  their  village  racon- 
teurs, and  some  Arabic  and  Hindu  romances  stand 
high  in  popular  favor.  Their  historians  all  wrote 
after  the  Mohammedan  era,  and  their  histories  are 
said  to  contain  little  that  is  trustworthy  ; each 
State  also  has  a local  history  preserved  with  super- 
stitious care  and  kept  from  common  eyes,  but  these 
contain  little  but  the  genealogies  of  their  chiefs. 
They  have  one  Malay  historical  composition,  dated 
1021  a.h.,  which  treats  of  the  founding  of  the  Ma- 
lay empire  of  Menangkabau  in  Sumatra,  and  comes 
down  to  the  founding  of  the  empire  of  Johore  and 
the  conquest  of  Malacca  by  Albuquerque  in  1511. 
This  has  been  thought  worthy  of  translation  by  Dr. 
Leyden. 

Their  ethical  books  consist  mainly  of  axioms 
principally  derived  from  Arabic  and  Persian 


26 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


sources.  Their  religious  works  are  borrowed  from 
the  Arabs.  The  Koran,  of  course,  stands  first, 
then  comes  a collection  of  prayers,  and  next  a 
guide  to  the  religious  duties  required  from  Mussul- 
men.  Then  there  are  books  containing  selections 
from  Arabic  religious  works,  with  learned  commen- 
taries upon  them  by  a Malay  Hadji.  It  is  to  be 
noticed  that  the  Malays  present  a compact  front 
against  Christianity,  and  have  successfully  resisted 
all  missionary  enterprise. 

They  have  a good  deal  of  poetry,  principally  of 
an  amorous  kind,  characterized,  it  is  said,  by  great 
simplicity,  natural  and  pleasing  metaphor,  and  ex- 
tremely soft  and  melodious  rhyme.  They  sing 
their  poems  to  certain  popular  airs,  which  are  com- 
mitted to  memory.  Malay  music,  though  plaintive 
and  less  excruciating  than  Chinese  and  Japanese,  is 
very  monotonous  and  dirge-like,  and  not  pleasing 
to  a European  ear.  The  pentatonic  scale  is  em- 
ployed. The  violin  stands  first  among  musical  in- 
struments in  their  estimation.  They  have  also  the 
guitar,  the  flageolet,  the  aeolian  flute,  a bamboo  in 
which  holes  are  cut,  which  produce  musical  sounds 
when  acted  upon  by  the  wind,  and  both  metallic 
and  wooden  gongs. 

They  have  no  written  system  of  common  arith- 
metic, and  are  totally  unacquainted  with  its  higher 
branches.  Their  numerals  above  one  thousand  are 
borrowed  from  the  Hindus,  and  their  manner  of 
counting  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  Ainos  of  Yezo. 


LANGUAGE  AND  LITERATURE. 


27 


Their  theory  of  medicine  is  derived  from  Arabia, 
and  abounds  in  mystery  and  superstition.  They 
regard  man  as  composed  of  four  elements  and 
four  essences,  and  assimilate  his  constitution  and 
passions  to  the  twelve  signs  of  the  zodiac,  the 
seven  planets,  etc.,  exaggerating  the  mysterious 
sympathy  between  man  and  external  nature. 
The  successful  practice  of  the  hakim  or  doctor 
must  be  based  on  the  principle  of  “ preserving 
the  balance  of  power  ” among  the  four  ele- 
ments, which  is  chiefly  effected  by  moderation  in 
eating. 

They  know  nothing  of  astronomy,  except  of  some 
meagre  ideas  derived  through  the  Arabs  from  the 
Ptolemaic  system,  and  Mr.  Newbold,  after  most 
painstaking  research,  failed  to  discover  any  regular 
treatise  on  astronomy,  though  Arabic  and  Hindu 
tracts  on  interpretations  of  dreams,  horoscopes, 
spells,  propitious  and  unpropitious  moments,  augu- 
ries, talismans,  love  philters,  medicinal  magic  and 
recipes  for  the  destruction  of  people  at  a distance, 
are  numerous.  They  acknowledge  the  solar  year, 
but  adopt  the  lunar,  and  reckon  the  months  in  three 
different  ways,  dividing  them,  however,  into  weeks 
of  seven  days,  marking  them  by  the  return  of  the 
Mohammedan  Sabbath.  They  suppose  the  world 
to  be  an  oval  body  revolving  on  its  axis  four  times 
within  a year,  with  the  sun,  a circular  body  of  fire, 
moving  round  it.  The  majority  of  the  people  still 
believe  that  eclipses  are  caused  by  the  sun  or  moon 


28 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


being  devoured  by  a serpent,  and  they  lament 
loudly  during  their  continuance. 

The  popular  modes  of  measuring  distance  are  in- 
genious, but,  to  a stranger  at  least,  misleading. 
Thus  Mr.  Daly,  in  attempting  to  reach  the  inte- 
rior States,  received  these  replies  to  his  inquiries 
about  distance — “ As  far  as  a gunshot  maybe  heard 
from  this  particular  hill  ; ” “ If  you  wash  your  head 
before  starting  it  will  not  be  dry  before  you  reach 
the  place,”  etc.  They  also  measure  distances  by 
the  day’s  walk,  and  by  the  number  of  times  it  is 
necessary  to  chew  betel  between  two  places.  The 
hours  are  denoted  by  terms  not  literally  accurate. 
Cockcrowing  is  daybreak,  i p.m.,  and  midnight ; 9 
a.m.,  Lepas  Baja,  is  the  time  when  the  buffaloes, 
which  cannot  work  when  the  sun  is  high,  are  relieved 
from  the  plough  ; Tetabawe  is  6 p.m.,  the  word  sig- 
nifying the  cry  of  a bird  which  is  silent  till  after 
sunset.  The  Malay  day  begins  at  sunset. 

They  are  still  maritime  in  their  habits,  and  very 
competent  practical  sailors  and  boat-builders  ; but 
though  for  centuries  they  divided  with  the  Arabs 
the  carrying  trade  between  Eastern  and  Western 
Asia,  and  though  a mongrel  Malay  is  the  nautical 
language  of  nearly  all  the  peoples  from  New  Guinea 
to  the  Tenasserim  coast,  the  Malays  knew  little 
of  the  science  of  navigation.  They  timed  their 
voyages  by  the  constant  monsoons,  and  in  sailing 
from  island  to  island  coasted  the  Asiatic  shores, 
trusting,  when  for  a short  time  out  of  sight  of  land, 


MALA  V LA  IV. 


29 


not  to  the  compass,  though  they  were  acquainted 
with  it,  but  to  known  rocks,  glimpses  of  headlands, 
the  direction  of  the  wind,  and  their  observation  of 
the  Pleiades. 

They  have  no  knowledge  of  geography,  architect- 
ure, painting,  sculpture,  or  even  mechanics  ; they 
no  longer  make  translations  from  the  Arabic  or 
create  fiction,  and  the  old  translations  of  works  on 
law,  ethics,  and  science  are  now  scarcely  studied. 
Education  among  them  is  at  a very  low  ebb;  but 
the  State  of  Kedah  is  beginningto  awake  to  its  ad- 
vantages. Where  schools  exist  the  instruction 
consists  mainly  in  teaching  the  children  to  repeat, 
in  a tongue  which  they  do  not  understand,  certain 
passages  from  the  Koran  and  some  set  prayers. 

As  to  law,  Sir  Stamford  Raffles  observed  in  a 
formal  despatch,  “ Nothing  has  tended  more  de- 
cidedly to  the  deterioration  of  the  Malay  character 
than  the  want  of  a well-defined  and  generally  ac- 
knowledged system  of  law.”  There  are  numerous 
legal  compilations,  however,  and  nearly  every  State 
has  a code  of  its  own  to  a certain  extent  ; there  are 
maritime  and  land  codes,  besides  “ customs  ” bad 
and  good,  which  override  the  written  law  ; while  in 
Perak,  Selangor,  and  Sungei  Ujong  an  ill  under- 
stood adaptation  of  some  portions  of  British  law 
further  complicates  matters.  “ The  glorious  uncer- 
tainty” of  law  is  nowhere  more  fully  exemplified 
than  on  this  Peninsula.  It  is  from  the  Golden 
Island,  the  parent  Empire  of  Menangkabau,  that 


30 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


the  Malays  profess  to  derive  both  their  criminal 
and  civil  law,  their  tribal  system,  their  rules  for  the 
division  of  land  by  boundary  marks,  and  the  man- 
ner of  government  as  adapted  for  sovereigns  and 
their  ministers.  The  existence  of  the  various  legal 
compilations  has  led  to  much  controversy  and  even 
bloodshed  between  zealots  for  the  letter  of  the 
Koran  on  one  side,  and  the  advocates  of  ancient 
custom  on  the  other.  Among  the  reasons  which 
have  led  to  the  migration  of  Malays  from  the  na- 
tive states  into  the  Straits  Settlements,  not  the 
least  powerful  is  the  equality  of  rights  before  Eng- 
lish law,  and  the  security  given  by  it  to  property  of 
every  kind.  In  the  Malay  country  itself,  occupied 
by  Malays  and  the  Chinese  associated  with  them, 
there  are  four  Malays  to  the  square  mile,  whilst 
under  the  British  flag  some  one  hundred  and  twen- 
ty-five Malays  to  the  square  mile  have  taken  refuge 
and  sought  protection  for  their  industry  under  our 
law  ! 

Cock-fighting,  which  has  attained  to  the  dignity 
of  a literature  of  its  own,  is  the  popular  Malay 
sport ; but  the  grand  sport  is  a tiger  and  buffalo 
fight,  reserved  for  rare  occasions,  however,  on  ac- 
count of  its  expense.  Cock-fighting  is  a source  of 
gigantic  gambling  and  desperate  feuds.  The  birds, 
which  fight  in  full  feather  and  with  sharpened  steel 
spurs,  are  very  courageous,  and  die  rather  than  give 
in.  Wrestling  among  young  men  and  tossing  the 
wicker  ball,  are  favorite  amusements.  There  are 


MALAY  SPORTS. 


31 


professional  dancing  girls,  but  dancing  as  a social 
amusement  is  naturally  regarded  with  disfavor. 
Children  have  various  games  peculiar  to  themselves, 
which  are  abandoned  as  childish  things  at  a given 
age.  Riddles  and  enigmas  occupy  a good  deal  of 
time  among  the  higher  classes.  Chess  also  occu- 
pies  much  time,  but  it  is  much  to  be  feared  that  the 
vice  of  gambling  stimulated  by  the  Chinese,  who 
have  introduced  both  cards  and  dice,  is  taking  the 
place  of  more  innocent  pastimes. 

The  Malays,  like  other  Mohammedans,  practice 
polygamy.  They  are  very  jealous,  and  their  women 
are  veiled  and  to  a certain  extent  secluded  ; but 
they  are  affectionate,  and  among  the  lower  classes 
there  is  a good  deal  of  domesticity.  Their  houses 
are  described  in  the  following  letters.  The  food  of 
the  poorer  classes  consists  mainly  of  rice  and  salt- 
fish,  curries  of  both,  maize,  sugar-cane,  bananas, 
and  jungle  fruits,  cocoa-nut  milk  being  used  in  the 
preparation  of  food  as  well  as  for  a beverage.  As 
luxuries  they  chew  betel-nut  and  smoke  tobacco, 
and  although  intoxicants  are  forbidden,  they  tap 
the  toddy  palm  and  drink  of  its  easily  fermented 
juice.  Where  metal  finds  its  way  into  domestic 
utensils  it  is  usually  in  the  form  of  tin  water-bottles 
and  ewers.  Every  native  possesses  a sweeping 
broom,  sleeping  mats,  coarse  or  fine,  and  bamboo 
or  grass  baskets.  Most  families  use  an  iron  pan  for 
cooking,  with  a half  cocoa-nut  shell  for  a ladle.  A 
large  nut  shell  filled  with  palm-oil,  and  containing 


32 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


a pith  wick,  is  the  ordinary  Malay  lamp.  Among 
the  poor,  fresh  leaves  serve  as  plates  and  dishes, 
but  the  chiefs  possess  china. 

The  Malay  weapons  consist  of  the  celebrated 
kris,  with  its  flame-shaped  wavy  blade  ; the  sword, 
regarded,  however,  more  as  an  ornament ; the 
parang,  which  is  both  knife  and  weapon  ; the  steel- 
headed spear,  which  cost  us  so  many  lives  in  the 
Perak  war  ; matchlocks,  blunderbusses,  and  lelahs , 
long  heavy  brass  guns  used  for  the  defence  of  the 
stockades  behind  which  the  Malays  usually  fight. 
They  make  their  own  gunpowder,  and  use  cartridges 
made  of  cane. 

The  Malays,  like  the  Japanese,  have  a most  rigid 
epistolary  etiquette,  and  set  forms  for  letter  writing. 
Letters  must  consist  of  six  parts,  and  are  so  highly 
elaborate  that  the  scribes  who  indite  them  are  al- 
most looked  upon  as  litterateurs.  There  is  an 
etiquette  of  envelopes  and  wafers,  the  number  and 
color  of  which  vary  with  the  relative  positions  of 
the  correspondents,  and  any  error  in  these  details 
is  regarded  as  an  insult.  Etiquette  in  general  is 
elaborate  and  rigid,  and  ignorant  breaches  of  it  on 
the  part  of  Europeans  have  occasionally  cost  them 
their  lives. 

The  systems  of  government  in  the  Malay  States 
vary  in  detail,  but  on  the  whole  may  be  regarded 
as  absolute  despotisms,  modified  by  certain  rights, 
of  which  no  rulers  in  a Mohammedan  country  can 
absolutely  deprive  the  ruled,  and  by  the  assertion 


SLAVERY  AND  DEBT  BONDAGE.  33 

of  the  individual  rights  of  chiefs.  Sultans,  rajahs, 
maharajahs,  datus,  etc.,  under  ordinary  circum- 
stances have  been  and  still  are  in  most  of  the  un- 
protected States  unable  to  control  the  chiefs  under 
them,  who  have  independently  levied  taxes  and 
blackmail  till  the  harassed  cultivators  came  scarcely 
to  care  to  possess  property  which  might  at  any 
time  be  seized.  Forced  labor  for  a quarter  of  the 
laboring  year  was  obligatory  on  all  males,  besides 
military  service  when  called  upon. 

Slavery  and  debt  bondage  exist  in  all  the  native 
States,  except  in  Selangor  and  Sungei  Ujong,  where 
it  has  recently  been  abolished,  as  it  is  hoped  it  will 
be  in  Perak.  The  slaves  of  the  reigning  princes 
were  very  easily  acquired,  for  a prince  had  only  to 
send  a messenger  bearing  a sword  or  kris  to  a 
house,  and  the  parents  were  obliged  to  give  up  any 
one  of  their  children  without  delay  or  question. 
In  debt  slavery,  which  prevails  more  or  less  among 
all  classes,  and  has  done  a great  deal  to  degrade 
the  women  of  the  Peninsula,  a man  owing  a trifling 
debt  incurred  through  extravagance,  misfortune  or 
gambling,  can  be  seized  by  his  creditor;  when  he, 
his  wife,  and  children,  including  those  who  may 
afterwards  be  born,  and  probably  their  descendants, 
become  slaves. 

In  most  of  the  States  the  reigning  prince  has 
regular  officers  under  him,  chief  among  whom  are 
the  Bandahara  or  treasurer,  who  is  the  first  min- 
ister, chief  executive  officer,  and  ruler  over  the  peas- 


3 


34 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


antry,  ancl  the  Tumongong  or  chief  magistrate. 
Usually  the  throne  is  hereditary,  but  while  the  suc- 
cession in  some  States  is  in  the  male  line,  in  others 
it  is  in  the  female,  a sister’s  son  being  the  heir  ; 
and  there  are  instances  in  which  the  chiefs  have 
elected  a sultan  or  rajah.  The  theory  of  govern- 
ment does  not  contain  anything  inherently  vicious, 
and  is  well  adapted  to  Malay  circumstances.  What- 
ever is  evil  in  practice  is  rather  contrary  to  the 
theory  than  in  accordance  with  it.  The  States  un- 
doubtedly have  fallen,  in  many  ways,  into  evil  case  ; 
the  privileged  few,  consisting  of  rajahs  and  their 
numerous  kindred  and  children,  oppressing  the  un- 
privileged many,  living  in  idleness  on  what  is  wrung 
from  their  toil.  The  Malay  sovereigns  in  most 
cases  have  come  to  be  little  more  than  the  feudal 
heads  of  bodies  of  insubordinate  chiefs,  while  even 
the  headmen  of  the  villages  take  upon  themselves 
to  levy  taxes  and  administer  a sort  of  justice.  No- 
madic cultivation,  dislike  of  systematic  labor,  and 
general  insecurity  as  to  the  boundaries  and  tenure 
of  land,  have  further  impoverished  the  common 
people,  while  Islamism  exercises  its  usual  freezing 
and  retarding  influence,  producing  the  fatal  isola- 
tion which  to  weak  peoples  is  slow  decay. 

When  Sir  A.  Clarke  was  appointed  Governor  of 
the  Straits  Settlements  in  1873  he  went  to  the  Cu- 
rator of  the  Geographical  Society’s  library  in  quest 
of  maps  and  information  of  any  kind  about  the 
country  to  which  he  was  going,  but  was  told  by 


“ no  information: 


35 


that  courteous  functionary  that  there  was  absolutely 
no  information  of  the  slightest  value  in  their 
archives.  Since  then  the  protectorate  which  we 
have  acquired  over  three  of  the  native  States  and 
the  war  in  Perak  have  mended  matters  somewhat  ; 
but  Mr.  Daly,  on  appearing  in  May  last  before  the 
same  Society  with  the  map  which  is  the  result  of 
his  partial  survey,  regrets  that  we  have  of  half  of 
the  Peninsula  “only  the  position  of  the  coast  line  !” 
Of  the  States  washed  by  the  China  Sea  scarcely 
anything  in  known,  and  the  eastern  and  central 
interior  offer  a wide  field  for  the  explorer. 

The  letters  which  follow  those  written  from 
China  and  Saigon  relate  to  the  British  settlements 
in  the  Straits  of  Malacca,  and  to  the  native  States 
of  Perak,  Selangor,  and  Sungei  Ujong,  which, 
since  1874,  have  passed  under  British  “protec- 
tion.” The  preceding  brief  sketch  is  necessarily 
a very  imperfect  one,  as  to  most  of  my  questions 
addressed  on  the  spot  and  since  to  the  best  in- 
formed people,  the  answer  has  been,  “No  informa- 
tion.” The  only  satisfaction  that  I have  in  these 
preliminary  pages  is,  that  they  place  the  reader  in 
a better  position  than  I was  in  when  I landed  at 
Malacca.  To  a part  of  this  beautiful  but  little 
known  region  I propose  to  conduct  my  readers, 
venturing  to  hope  for  their  patient  interest  in  my 
journeyings  over  the  bright  waters  of  the  Malacca 
Straits  and  in  the  jungles  of  the  Golden  Cher- 
sonese. I.  L.  B. 


LETTER  I. 


S.  S.  “Volga,”  China  Sea, 
Chtistmas  Eve,  1878. 

The  snowy  dome  of  Fujisan,  reddening  in  the 
sunrise,  rose  above  the  violet  woodlands  of  Missis- 
sippi Bay  as  we  steamed  out  of  Yokohama  harbor 
on  the  19th,  and  three  days  later  I saw  the  last  of 
Japan — a rugged  coast,  lashed  by  a wintry  sea. 

The  Palace,  Victoria,  Hong  Kong, 
December  27. 

Of  the  voyage  to  Hong  Kong  little  need  be  said. 
The  Volga  is  a miserable  steamer,  with  no  place  to 
sit  in,  and  nothing  to  sit  on  but  the  benches  by  the 
dinner-table  in  the  dismal  saloon.  The  master,  a 
worthy  man,  so  far  as  I ever  saw  of  him,  was  Goth, 
Vandal,  Hun,  Visigoth,  all  in  one.  The  ship  was 
damp,  dark,  dirty,  old,  and  cold.  She  was  not 
warmed  by  steam,  and  the  fire  could  not  be  lighted 
because  of  a smoky  chimney.  There  were  no 
lamps,  and  the  sparse  candles  were  obviously 
grudged.  The  stewards  were  dirty  and  despond- 
ing, the  serving  inhospitable,  the  cooking  dirty  and 
greasy,  the  food  scanty,  the  table-linen  frowsy. 
There  were  four  French  and  two  Japanese  male  pas- 
sengers, who  sat  at  meals  in  top-coats,  comforters, 

36 


DAYS  OF  DARKNESS. 


37 


and  hats.  ' I had  a large  cabin,  the  salon  des  dames , 
and  the  undivided  attention  of  a very  competent 
but  completely  desponding  stewardess.  • Being  de- 
barred from  the  deck  by  incessant  showers  of 
spray,  sleet,  and  snow,  and  the  cold  of  mid-winter 
being  unbearable  in  the  dark,  damp  saloon,  I went 
to  bed  at  four  for  the  first  two  days.  On  the  third 
it  blew  half  a gale,  with  a short  violent  sea,  and 
this  heavy  weather  lasted  till  we  reached  Hong 
Kong,  five  days  afterward.  During  those  cold, 
dark,  noisy  days,  when  even  the  stewards  could 
scarcely  keep  their  feet,  I suffered  so  much  in  my 
spine  from  the  violent  movements  of  the  ship  that 
I did  not  leave  my  cabin  ; and  besides  being  unable 
to  read,  write,  or  work,  owing  to  the  darkness,  I 
was  obliged  to  hold  on  by  day  and  night  to  avoid 
being  much  hurt  by  the  rolling,  my  berth  being 
athwart  ships ; consequently,  that  week,  which  I 
had  relied  upon  for  “overtaking”  large  arrears  of 
writing  and  sewing,  was  so  much  lost  out  of  life, — 
irrecoverably  and  shamefully  lost,  I felt, — as  each 
dismal  day  dawned  and  died  without  sunrise  or 
sunset,  on  the  dark  and  stormy  Pacific.  No  one,  it 
seemed,  knew  any  more  English  than  “Yes”  and 
“ No  and  as  the  ship  knocked  French  out  of  my 
memory,  I had  not  even  the  resource  of  talking 
with  the  stewardess,  who  told  me  on  the  last  day 
of  our  imprisonment  that  she  was  “ triste,  triste,” 
and  “ one  mass  of  bruises  ! ” 

In  this  same  gale,  but  on  a dry  day,  we  came 


38 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


close  up  with  the  mainland  of  Eastern  Asia.  Coasts 
usually  disappoint.  This  one  exceeded  all  my  ex- 
pectations.; and  besides,  it  was  the  coast  of  Asia, 
the  mysterious  continent  which  has  been  my  dream 
from  childhood — bare,  lofty,  rocky,  basaltic  ; islands 
of  naked  rock  separated  by  narrow  channels,  majes- 
tic, perpendicular  cliffs,  a desolate  uninhabited 
region,  lashed  by  a heavy  sea,  with  visions  of 
swirling  mists,  shrieking  sea-birds,  and  Chinese 
high-sterned  fishing-boats  with  treble-reefed,  three- 
cornered  brown  sails,  appearing  on  the  tops  of 
surges,  at  once  to  vanish.  Soon  we  were  among 
mountainous  islands.;  and  then,  by  a narrow  and 
picturesque  channel,  entered  the  outer  harbor,  with 
the  scorched  and  arid  peaks  of  Hong  Kong  on  one 
side  ; and  on  the  other  the  yet  redder  and  rockier 
mainland,  without  a tree  or  trace  of  cultivation,  or 
even  of  habitation,  except  here  and  there  a few 
stone  huts  clustering  round  inlets,  in  which  boats 
were  lying.  We  were  within  the  tropic  of  Cancer, 
but  still  the  cold,  coarse  bluster  continued,  so  that 
it  was  barely  possible  to  see  China  except  in 
snatches  from  behind  the  deck-house. 

Turning  through  another  channel,  we  abruptly 
entered  the  inner  harbor,  and  sailed  into  the  sum- 
mer, blue  sky,  blue  water,  a summer  sun,  and  a 
cool  breeze,  while  a tender  veil  of  blue  haze 
softened  the  outlines  of  the  flushed  mountains. 
Victoria,  which  is  the  capital  of  the  British  colony 
of  the  island  of  Hong  Kong,  and  which  colloquially 


HONG  KONG  ON  FIRE. 


39 


is  called  Hong  Kong,  looked  magnificent,  suggest- 
ing Gibraltar,  but  far,  far  finer,  its  Peak  eighteen 
hundred  feet  in  height — a giant  among  lesser  peaks, 
rising  abruptly  from  the  sea  above  the  great  granite 
city  which  clusters  upon  its  lower  declivities,  look- 
ing out  from  dense  greenery  and  tropical  gardens, 
and  the  deep  shade  of  palms  and  bananas,  the  lines 
of  many  of  its  streets  traced  in  foliage,  all  con- 
trasting with  the  scorched  red  soil  and  barren  crags 
which  were  its  universal  aspect  before  we  acquired 
it  in  1843.  A forest  of  masts  above  the  town  be- 
token its  commercial  importance,  and  “ P.  and  O.” 
and  Messageries  Maritimes  steamers,  ships  of  war 
of  all  nations,  low-hulled,  big-masted  clippers,  store 
and  hospital  ships,  and  a great  fishing  fleet  lay  at 
anchor  in  the  harbor.  The  English  and  Romish 
cathedrals,  the  Episcopal  Palace,  with  St.  Paul’s 
College,  great  high  blocks  of  commercial  buildings, 
huge  sugar  factories,  great  barracks  in  terraces, 
battery  above  battery,  Government  House,  and 
massive  stone  wharves,  came  rapidly  into  view, 
and  over  all,  its  rich  folds  spreading  out  fully  on 
the  breeze,  floated  the  English  flam 

But  dense  volumes  of  smoke  rolling  and  eddying, 
and  covering  with  their  black  folds  the  lower  slopes 
and  the  town  itself  made  a surprising  spectacle,  and 
even  as  we  anchored  came  off  the  rapid  tolling  of 
bells,  the  roll  of  drums,  and  the  murmur  of  a “ city 
at  unrest.”  No  one  met  me.  A few  Chinese 
boats  came  off,  and  then  a steam  launch  with  the 


4o 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


M.  M.  agent  in  an  obvious  flurry.  I asked  him 
how  to  get  ashore,  and  he  replied,  “ It’s  no  use 
going  ashore,  the  town’s  half  burned,  and  burning 
still  ; there’s  not  a bed  at  any  hotel  for  love  or 
money,  and  we  are  going  to  make  up  beds  here.” 
However,  through  the  politeness  of  the  mail  agent, 
I did  go  ashore  in  the  launch,  but  we  had  to  climb 
through  and  over  at  least  eight  tiers  of  boats, 
crammed  with  refugees,  mainly  women  and  children, 
and  piled  up  with  all  sorts  of  household  goods, 
whole  and  broken,  which  had  been  thrown  into 
them  promiscuously  to  save  them.  “ The  palace  of 
the  English  bishop,”  they  said,  was  still  untouched; 
so,  escaping  from  an  indescribable  hubbub,  I got 
into  a bamboo  chair,  with  two  long  poles  which 
rested  on  the  shoulders  of  two  lean  coolies,  who 
carried  me  to  my  destination  at  a swinging  pace 
through  streets  as  steep  as  those  of  Varenna. 
Streets  choked  up  with  household  goods  and  the 
costly  contents  of  shops,  treasured  books  and  nick- 
nacks  lying  on  the  dusty  pavements,  with  beds, 
pictures,  clothing,  mirrors,  goods  of  all  sorts  ; China- 
men dragging  their  possessions  to  the  hills;  Chi- 
nawomen, some  of  them  with  hoofs  rather  than 
feet,  carrying  their  children  on  their  backs  and 
under  their  arms  ; officers,  black  with  smoke,  work- 
ing at  the  hose  like  firemen  ; parties  of  troops 
marching  as  steadily  as  on  parade,  or  keeping  guard 
in  perilous  places  ; Mr.  Pope  Henessey,  the  Gov- 
ernor, ubiquitous  in  a chair  with  four  scarlet  bearers; 


HONG  KONG  ON  FIRE. 


41 


men  belonging  to  the  insurance  companies  running 
about  with  drawn  swords ; the  miscellaneous  popu- 
lation running  hither  and  thither ; loud  and  frequent 
explosions ; heavy  crashes  as  of  tottering  walls,  and, 
above  all,  the  loud  bell  of  the  Romish  cathedral 
tolling  rapidly,  calling  to  work  or  prayer,  made  a 
scene  of  intense  excitement ; while  utterly  unmoved, 
in  grand  Oriental  calm  (or  apathy),  with  the  waves 
of  tumult  breaking  round  their  feet,  stood  Sikh 
sentries,  majestic  men,  with  swarthy  faces  and  great 
crimson  turbans.  Through  the  encumbered  streets 
and  up  grand  flights  of  stairs  my  bearers  brought 
me  to  these  picturesque  grounds,  which  were  cov- 
ered over  ‘with  furniture  and  goods  of  all  descrip- 
tions brought  hither  for  safety,  and  Chinese  fami- 
lies camping  out  among  them.  Indeed,  the  Bishop 
and  Mrs.  Burdon  had  not  only  thrown  open  their 
beautiful  grounds  to  these  poor  people,  but  had  ac- 
commodated some  Chinese  families  in  rooms  in  the 
palace  under  their  own.  The  apathy  or  calm  of 
the  Chinese  women  as  they  sat  houseless  amidst 
their  possessions  was  very  striking.  In  the  broad, 
covered  corridor  which  runs  round  the  palace  every- 
thing the  Burdons  most  value  was  lying  ready  for 
instantaneous  removal,  and  I was  warned  not  to 
unpack  or  takeoff  my  traveling  dress.  The  Bishop 
and  I at  once  went  down  to  the  fire,  which  was  got 
under,  and  saw  the  wreck  of  the  city  and  the  house- 
less people  camping  out  among  the  things  they  had 
saved.  Fire  was  still  burning  or  smouldering  every- 


42 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


where,  high  walls  were  falling,  hose  were  playing 
on  mountains  of  smouldering  timber,  whole  streets 
• were  blocked  with  masses  of  fallen  brick  and  stone, 
charred  telegraph  poles  and  fused  wires  were  lying 
about,  with  half  burned  ledgers  and  half  burned 
everything.  The  colored  population  exceeds  one 
hundred  and  fifty-two  thousand  souls,  and  only 
those  who  know  the  Babel  which  an  eastern  crowd 
is  capable  of  making  under  ordinary  circumstances 
can  imagine  what  the  deafening  din  of  human 
tongues  was  under  these  very  extraordinary  ones. 
In  the  prison,  which  was  threatened  by  the  flames, 
were  over  eight  hundred  ruffians  of  all  nations,  and 
it  was  held  by  one  hundred  soldiers  with  ‘ten  rounds 
of  ammunition  each,  prepared  to  convey  the  crim- 
inals to  a place  of  safety,  and  to  shoot  any  who  at- 
tempted to  escape.  The  dread  of  these  miscreants, 
which  was  everywhere  expressed,  is  not  unreasona- 
ble, for  the  position  of  Victoria,  and  the  freedom 
and  protection  afforded  by  our  laws,  together  with 
the  present  Governor's  known  sympathies  with 
colored  people,  have  attracted  here  thousands  of 
the  scum  of  Canton  and  other  Chinese  cities,  to  say 
nothing  of  a mass  of  European  and  Asiatic  ruffian- 
ism, much  of  which  is  at  all  times  percolating 
through  the  magnificent  Victoria  prison. 

On  returning,  I was  just  beginning  to  unpack 
when  the  flames  burst  out  again.  It  was  luridly 
grand  in  the  twilight,  the  tongues  of  flame  lapping 
up  house  after  house,  the  jets  of  flame  loaded  with 


THE  FIRE  SUBDUED. 


43 


blazing  fragments,  the  explosions,  each  one  suc- 
ceeded by  a burst  of  flame,  carrying  high  into  the  air 
all  sorts  of  projectiles,  beams  and  rafters  paraffine 
soaked,  strewing  them  over  the  doomed  city,  the 
leaping  flames  coming  nearer  and  nearer,  the  great 
volumes  of  smoke,  spark-laden,  rolling  toward  us, 
all  mingling  with  a din  indescribable.  Burning 
fragments  shortly  fell  on  the  window-sills,  and  as 
the  wind  was  very  strong  and  setting  this  way,  there 
seemed  so  little  prospect  of  the  palace  being  saved 
that  important  papers  were  sent  to  the  cathedral 
and  several  of  the  refugees  fled  with  their  things  to 
the  hills.  At  that  moment  the  wind  changed,  and 
the  great  drift  of  flame  and  smoke  was  carried  in  a 
comparatively  harmless  direction,  the  fire  was  got 
well  in  hand  the  second  time,  the  official  quarter 
was  saved,  and  before  io  p.m.  we  were  able  for  the 
first  time  since  my  arrival  at  mid-day  to  sit  down  to 
food. 

Most  people  seem  much  upset  as  well  from  per- 
sonal peril  as  from  sympathy,  and  all  parties  and 
pic-nics  for  two  days  were  given  up.  Even  the  news- 
papers did  not  come  out  this  morning,  the  types  of 
one  of  them  being  in  this  garden.  The  city  is  now 
patrolled  night  and  day  by  strong  parties  of  marines 
and  Sikhs,  for  both  the  disposition  to  loot  and  the 
facilities  for  looting  are  very  great.  I.  L.  B. 


LETTER  II. 


The  Palace,  Victoria, 

December  29. 

I like  and  admire  Victoria.  It  is  so  pleasant  to 
come  in  from  the  dark,  misty,  coarse,  loud-tongued 
Pacific,  and  the  December  colorlessness  of  Japan 
to  bright  blue  waters  crisped  by  a perpetual  north 
wind — to  the  flaming  hills  of  the  Asian  mainland, 
which  are  red  in  the  early  morning,  redder  in  the 
glow  of  noon,  and  pass  away  in  the  glorious  sun- 
sets through  ruby  and  vermilion  into  an  amethyst 
haze,  deepening  into  the  purple  of  a tropic  night, 
when  the  vast  expanse  of  sky  which  is  seen  from 
this  high  elevation  is  literally  one  blaze  of  stars. 
Though  they  are  by  no  means  to  be  seen  in  per- 
fection, there  are  here  many  things  that  I love, — 
bananas,  poinsettias,  papayas,  tree-ferns,  dendro- 
biums,  dracenas,  the  scarlet  passion-flower,  the 
spurious  banyan,  date,  sago,  and  traveler’s  palms, 
and  numberless  other  trees  and  shrubs,  children  of 
the  burning  sun  of  the  tropics,  carefully  watered 
and  tended,  but  exotics  after  all.  . 

It  is  a most  delightful  winter  climate.  There 
has  not  been  any  rain  for  three  months,  nor  will 
there  be  any  for  two  more  ; the  sky  is  cloudless, 

44 


VICTORIA. 


45 


the  air  dry  and  very  bracing.  It  is  cold  enough  at 
night  for  fires,  and  autumn  clothing  can  be  worn  all 
the  day  long,  for  though  the  sun  is  bright  and 
warm,  the  shade  temperature  does  not  rise  above 
65°,  and  exercise  is  easy  and  pleasant.  At  night, 
even  at  a considerable  height,  the  lowest  tempera- 
ture is  40°.  It  is  impossible  to  praise  the  climate 
too  highly,  with  its  bright  sky,  cool  dry  air,  and 
five  months  of  rainlessness  ; but  I should  write  very 
differently  if  I came  here  four  months  later,  when 
the  mercury  ranges  from  8o°  to  90°  both  by  day  and 
night,  and  the  cloudy  sky  rests  ever  on  the  sum- 
mits of  the  island  peaks,  and  everything  is  moist, 
and  the  rain  comes  down  continually  in  torrents, 
rising  in  hot  vapors  when  the  sun  shines,  and  peo- 
ple become  limp  and  miserable,  and  their  possessions 
limp  and  moldy,  and  insect  life  revels,  and  human 
existence  spent  in  a vapor  bath  becomes  burden- 
some. But  the  city  is  healthy  to  those  who  live 
temperately.  It  has,  however,  a remarkable  pecu- 
liarity. Standing  in  and  on  rock,  one  fancies  that 
fever  would  not  be  one  of  its  maladies,  but  the  rock 
itself  seems  to  have  imprisoned  fever  germs  in  some 
past  age,  for  whenever  it  is  quarried  or  cut  into  for 
foundations,  or  is  disturbed  in  any  way,  fever  im- 
mediately breaks  out. 

Victoria  is  a beautiful  city.  It  reminds  me  of 
Genoa,  but  that  most  of  its  streets  are  so  steep  as 
to  be  impassable  for  wheeled  vehicles,  and  some  of 
them  are  merely  grand  flights  of  stairs,  arched  over 


4<5 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


by  dense  foliaged  trees,  so  as  to  look  like  some 
tropical,  colored,  deep  colonnades.  It  has  covered 
green  balconies  with  festoons  of  creepers,  lofty 
houses,  streets  narrow  enough  to  exclude  much  of 
the  sun,  people  and  costumes  of  all  nations,  pro- 
cessions of  Portuguese  priests  and  nuns  ; and  all  its 
many-colored  life  is  seen  to  full  advantage  under 
this  blue  sky  and  brilliant  sun. 

This  house  is  magnificently  situated,  and  very 
large  and  airy.  Part  is  the  Episcopal  Palace,  and 
the  rest  St.  Paul’s  College,  of  which  Bishop  Burdon 
is  warden.  The  mountainous  grounds  are  beauti- 
ful, and  the  entrance  blazes  with  poinsettias.  There 
are  no  female  servants,  but  Chinese  men  perform 
all  the  domestic  service  satisfactorily.  I learn  that 
for  a Chinese  servant  to  appear  without  his  skull- 
cap is  rude,  but  to  appear  with  his  pig-tail  wound 
round  his  head  instead  of  pendent,  is  a gross  insult ! 
The  “ Pidjun  English  ” is  revolting,  and  the  most 
dignified  persons  demean  themselves  by  speaking 
it.  The  word  “ pidjun  ” appears  to  refer  generally 
to  business.  “My  pidjun”  is  undoubtedly  “my 
work.”  How  the  whole  English-speaking  commu- 
nity, without  distinction  of  rank,  has  come  to  com- 
municate with  the  Chinese  in  this  baby  talk  is 
extraordinary. 

If  you  order  a fire  you  say  something  like  this  : 
“ Fire  makee,  chop,  chop,  here,  makee  fire  number 
one ; ” chop  being  quick,  and  number  one  good,  or 
“first-class.”  If  a servant  tells  you  that  some  one 


PIDJUN  ENGLISH. 


47 


has  called  he  says,  “ One  piecey  manee  here  speak 
missey,”  and  if  one  asks  who  he  is,  he  very  likely 
answers,  “No  sabe,”  or  else,  “Number  one,  tink,” 
by  which  he  implies  that  the  visitor  is,  in  his  opinion, 
a gentleman.  After  the  courteous,  kindly  Japanese, 
the  Chinese  seem  indifferent,  rough  and  disagreea- 
ble, except  the  well-to-do  merchants  in  the  shops, 
who  are  bland,  complacent,  and  courteous.  Their 
rude  stare  and  the  way  they  hustle  you  in  the  streets 
and  shout  their  “pidjun”  English  at  you  is  not  at- 
tractive. Then  they  have  an  ugly  habit  of  speaking 
of  us  as  barbarian  or  foreign  devils.  Since  I knew 
the  word  I have  heard  it  several  times  in  the  streets, 
and  Bishop  Burdon  says  that  before  his  servants 
found  out  that  he  knew  Chinese,  they  were  always 
speaking  of  him  and  Mrs.  Burdon  by  this  very  ugly 
name. 

[Victoria  is,  or  should  be,  well  known,  so  I will 
not  describe  its  cliques,  its  boundless  hospitalities, 
its  extravagances  in  living,  its  quarrels,  its  gayeties, 
its  pic-nics,  balls,  regattas,  races,  dinner  parties,  lawn 
tennis  parties,  amateur  theatricals,  afternoon  teas, 
and  all  its  other  modes  of  creating  a whirl  which 
passes  for  pleasure  or  occupation.  Rather,  I would 
write  of  some  of  the  facts  concerning  this  very  re- 
markable settlement,  which  is  on  its  way  to  being 
the  most  important  British  colony  in  the  Far  East. 

Moored  to  England  by  the  electric  cable,  and 
replete  with  all  the  magnificent  enterprises  and  lux- 
uries of  English  civilization,  with  a population  of 


48 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


one  hundred  and  sixty  thousand,  of  which  only  seven 
thousand,  including  soldiers  and  sailors,  are  white, 
and  possessing  the  most  imposing  city  of  the  East 
on  its  shores,  the  colony  is  only  forty  years  old  ; the 
island  of  Hong  Kong  having  been  ceded  to  England 
in  1841,  while  its  charter  only  bears  the  date  of 
1843.  The  island,  which  is  about  eleven  miles  long, 
from  two  to  five  broad,  and  with  an  area  of  about 
twenty-nine  square  miles,  is  one  of  a number  situ- 
ated off  the  south-eastern  coast  of  China  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Canton  river,  ninety  miles  from  Can- 
ton. It  is  one  of  the  many  “thieves’  islands,”  and 
one  of  the  first  necessities  of  the  administration  was 
to  clear  out  the  hordes  of  sea  and  river  pirates  which 
infested  its  very  intricate  neighborhood.  It  lies 
just  within  the  tropic  of  Cancer  in  lat.  22°  N.  and 
long.  1 1 4°  E.  The  Ly-ee-moon  Pass,  the  narrow 
strait  which  separates  it  from  the  Chinese  main- 
land, is  only  Half  a mile  wide.  Kow-loon,  on  the 
mainland,  an  arid  peninsula,  on  which  some  of  the 
Hong  Kongese  have  been  attempting  to  create  a 
suburb,  was  ceded  to  England  in  1861.  The  whole 
island  of  Hong  Kong  is  picturesque.  The  mag- 
nificent harbor,  which  has  an  area  of  ten  square 
miles,  is  surrounded  by  fantastic,  broken  mountains 
from  three  thousand  to  four  thousand  feet  high, 
and  the  magnificent  city  of  Victoria  extends  for  four 
miles  alonq-  its  southern  shore,  with  its  six  thousand 
houses  of  stone  and  brick  and  the  princely  mansions 
and  roomy  bungalows  of  its  merchants  and  officials 


PROSPERITY  OF  HONG  KONG. 


49 


scrambling  up  the  steep  sides  of  the  Peak,  the  high- 
est point  of  the  island,  carrying  verdure  and  shade 
with  them.  Damp  as  its  summer  is,  the  average 
rainfall  scarcely  exceeds  seventy-eight  inches,  but  it 
is  hotter  than  Singapore  in  the  hot  season,  though 
the  latter  is  under  eighty  miles  from  the  Equator. 

The  causes  by  which  this  little  island,  which  pro- 
duces nothing,  has  risen  into  first-rate  importance 
among  our  colonies  are,  that  Victoria,  with  its  mag- 
nificent harbor,  is  a factory  for  our  Chinese  com- 
merce, and  offers  unrivaled  facilities  for  the  mili- 
tary and  naval  forces  which  are  necessary  for  the 
protection  not  only  of  that  commerce  but  of  our 
interests  in  the  far  East.  It  is  hardly  too  much  to  say 
that  it  is  the  naval  and  commercial  terminus  of  the 
Suez  Canal.  Will  it  be  believed  that  the  amount 
of  British  and  foreign  tonnage  annually  entering 
and  leaving  the  port  averages  two  millions  of  tons  ? 
and  that  the  number  of  native  vessels  trading  to  it 
is  about  fifty-two  thousand,  raising  the  total  ascer- 
tained tonnage  to  upward  of  three  millions  and  a 
half,  or  half  a million  tons  in  excess  of  Singapore  ? 
To  this  must  be  added  thousands  of  smaller  native 
boats  of  every  build  and  rig  trading  to  Hong 
Kong,  not  only  from  the  Chinese  coasts  and  rivers, 
but  from  Siam,  Japan,  and  Cochin  China.  Besides 
the  “ P.  and  O.,”  the  Mcssagerics  Maritimes , the 
Pacific  Mail  Company,  the  Eastern  and  Australian 
Mail  Company,  the  Japanese  “Mitsu  Bichi  Mail 
Company,  etc.,  all  regular  mail  lines,  it  has  a number 

4 


50 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


of  lines  of  steamers  trading  to  England,  America, 
and  Germany,  with  local  lines  both  Chinese  and 
English,  and  lines  of  fine  sailing  clippers,  which, 
however,  are  gradually  falling  into  disuse,  owing  to 
the  dangerous  navigation  of  the  China  seas,  and  the 
increasing  demand  for  speed. 

Victorian  firms  have  almost  the  entire  control  of 
the  tea  and  silk  trade,  and  Victoria  is  the  centre  of 
the  trade  in  opium,  sugar,  flour,  salt,  earthenware, 
oil,  amber,  cotton,  and  cotton  goods,  sandal-wood, 
ivory,  betel,  vegetables,  live  stock,  granite,  and 
much  else.  The  much  abused  term  “ emporium  of 
commerce  ” may  most  correctly  be  applied  to  it. 

It  has  five  docks,  three  slips,  and  every  requisite 
for  making  extensive  repairs  for  ships  of  war  and 
merchantmen. 

It  has  telegraphic  communication  with  the  whole 
civilized  world,  and  its  trade  is  kept  thereby  in  a 
continual  fever. 

It  has  a large  garrison,  for  which  it  pays  to  Eng- 
land ^20,000  a year.  Were  it  not  for  this  force, 
its  six  hundred  and  fifty  policemen,  of  whom  only 
one  hundred  and  ten  are  Europeans,  might  not  be 
able  to  overawe  even  as  much  as  they  do  the  rowdy 
and  ruffianly  elements  of  its  heterogeneous  popula- 
tion. As  it  is,  the  wealthier  foreign  residents,  for 
the  security  of  their  property,  are  obliged  to  supple- 
ment the  services  of  the  public  caretakers  by  em- 
ploying private  watchmen,  who  patrol  their  grounds 
at  night.  It  must  be  admitted  that  the  criminal 


GOVERNMENT  OF  HONG  KONG. 


51 


classes  are  very  rampageous  in  Victoria,  whether 
from  undue  and  unwise  leniency  in  the  treatment 
of  crime,  or  whether  from  the  extraordinary  mass 
of  criminals  to  which  our  flag  affords  security  is 
not  for  a stranger  to  say,  though  the  general  clamor 
raised  when  I visited  the  great  Chinese  prison  in 
Canton,  “ I wish  I were  in  your  prison  in  Hong 
Kong,”  and  my  own  visit  to  the  Victoria  prison, 
render  the  former  suspicion  at  least  permissible. 

Hong  Kong  possesses  the  usual  establishment  of 
a Crown  Colony,  and  the  government  is  adminis- 
tered by  a Governor,  aided  by  a Legislative  Coun- 
cil, of  which  he  is  the  President,  and  which  is  com- 
posed of  the  Chief  Justice,  the  Colonial  Secretary, 
the  Attorney-General,  the  Treasurer,  and  four  un- 
official members,  nominated  by  the  Crown  on  the 
Governor’s  recommendation. 

The  enormous  preponderance  of  the  mixed 
Oriental  population  is  a source  of  some  difficulty, 
and  it  is  not  easy  by  our  laws  to  punish  and  destroy 
a peculiarly  hateful  form  of  slavery  which  is  recog- 
nized by  Chinese  custom,  and  which  has  attained 
gigantic  proportions  in  Victoria.  There  is  an  im- 
mense preponderance  of  the  masculine  element, 
nearly  six  to  one  among  the  Europeans,  and  among 
the  Orientals  the  men  are  nearly  two  and  a half 
times  as  numerous  as  the  women. 

As  Victoria  is  a free  port,  it  is  impossible  to  esti- 
mate the  value  of  its  imports  and  exports,  but  its 
harbor,  full  of  huge  merchantmen,  and  craft  of  all 


52 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


nations,  its  busy  wharves,  its  crowd  of  lighters  load- 
ing and  unloading  by  day  and  night,  its  thronged 
streets  and  handsome  shops,  its  huge  warehouses, 
packed  with  tea,  silk,  and  all  the  costly  products  of 
the  East,  and  its  hillsides  terraced  with  the  luxu- 
rious houses  of  its  merchants,  all  say,  “ Circumspice, 
these  are  better  than  statistics!”]  I.  L.  B. 


LETTER  III. 


S.  S.  “ Kin  Kiang,’’  December  30. 

You  will  remember  that  it  is  not  very  long  since 
a piratical  party  of  Chinese,  shipping  as  steerage 
passengers  on  board  one  of  these  Hong  Kong  river 
steamers,  massacred  the  officers  and  captured  the 
boat.  On  board  this  great,  white,  deck-above-deck 
American  steamer  there  is  but  one  European  pas- 
senger beside  myself,  but  there  are  four  hundred 
and  fifty  second-class  passengers,  Chinamen,  with 
the  exception  of  a few  Parsees,  all  handsomely 
dressed,  nearly  all  smoking,  and  sitting  or  lying 
over  the  saloon  deck  up  to  the  saloon  doors.  In 
the  steerage  there  are  fifteen  hundred  Chinese 
steerage  passengers,  all  men.  The  Chinese  are  a 
noisy  people,  their  language  is  inharmonious,  and 
the  lower  class  male  voices,  at  least,  are  harsh  and 
coarse.  The  fifteen  hundred  men  seem  to  be  all 
shouting  at  once,  and  the  din  which  comes  up 
through  the  hatchways  is  fearful.  This  noisy  mass 
of  humanity  is  practically  imprisoned  below,  for 
there  is  a heavy  iron  grating  securely  padlocked 
over  each  exit,  and  a European,  “ armed  to  the 
teeth,”  stands  by  each,  ready  to  shoot  the  first  man 
who  attempts  to  force  it.  In  this  saloon  there  is  a 


54 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


stand  of  six  rifles  with  bayonets,  and  four  revolvers, 
and,  as  we  started,  a man  carefully  took  the  sheaths 
off  the  bayonets,  and  loaded  the  firearms  with  ball 
cartridge. 

Canton , January  i,  1879. — The  Canton  river  for 
the  ninety  miles  up  here  has  nothing  interesting 
about  it.  Soon  after  leaving  H ong  Kong  the  country 
becomes  nearly  a dead  level,  mainly  rice-swamps 
varied  by  patches  of  bananas,  with  their  great  fronds 
torn  to  tatters  by  the  prevailing  strong  breeze.  A 
very  high  pagoda  marks  Whampoa,  once  a prosper- 
ous port,  but  now,  like  Macao,  nearly  deserted.  An 
hour  after  disgorging  three  boat  loads  of  Chinamen 
at  Whampoa,  we  arrived  at  the  beginning  of  Canton, 
but  it  took  more  than  half  an  hour  of  cautious 
threading  of  our  way  among  junks,  sampans,  house- 
boats, and  slipper-boats,  before  we  moored  to  the 
crowded  and  shabby  wharf.  If  my  expectations  of 
Canton  had  been  much  raised  they  would  certainly 
have  been  disappointed,  for  the  city  stands  on  a 
perfectly  level  site,  and  has  no  marked  features 
within  or  around  it  except  the  broad  and  bridgeless 
tidal  river  which  sweeps  through  it  at  a rapid  rate. 
In  the  distance  are  the  White-cloud  hills,  which 
were  painted  softly  in  amethyst  on  a tender  green 
sky,  and  nearer  are  some  rocky  hills,  which  are  red 
at  all  hours  of  daylight.  Boats  and  masts  conceal 
the  view  of  the  city  from  the  river  to  a great  ex- 
tent, but  even  when  from  a vantage  ground  it  is 
seen  spread  out  below,  it  is  so  densely  packed,  its 


FIRST  VIEW  OF  CANTON. 


55 


streets  are  so  narrow,  and  its  open  spaces  so  few, 
that  one  almost  doubts  whether  the  million  and  a 
half  of  people  attributed  to  it  are  really  crowded 
within  the  narrow  area.  From  the  river,  and  indeed 
from  any  point  of  view,  Canton  is  less  imposing 
even  than  Tokiyo.  Few  objects  rise  above  the 
monotonous  level,  and  the  few  are  unimpressive. 
There  are  two  or  three  pagodas  looking  like  shot 
towers.  There  is  a double-towered  Romish  cathe- 
dral of  great  size,  not  yet  finished.  There  is  the 
“ Nine-storied  pagoda.”  But  in  truth  the  most 
prominent  objects  from  the  river  are  the  “godowns” 
of  the  pawnbrokers,  lofty,  square  towers  of  gray 
brick  which  dominate  the  city,  play  a very  important 
part  in  its  social  economy,  and  are  very  far  removed 
from  those  establishments  with  the  trinity  of  gilded 
balls,  which  hide  themselves  shamefacedly  away  in 
our  English  by-streets.  At  one  part  of  the  river- 
side there  are  some  substantial  looking  foreign 
houses  among  trees,  on  the  site  of  the  foreign  fac- 
tories of  former  days,  but  they  and  indeed  all  else 
are  hidden  by  a crowd  of  boats,  a town  of  boats,  a 
floating  suburb.  Indeed,  boats  are  my  earliest  and 
strongest  impressions  of  what  on  my  arrival  I was 
hasty  enough  to  think  a mean  city.  It  is  not  only 
along  the  sides  of  the  broad  Pearl  river,  but  along 
the  network  of  innumerable  canals  and  creeks  which 
communicate  with  it,  that  they  are  found. 

These  boats,  the  first  marvel  of  a marvelous  city, 
have  come  between  me  and  mv  landinp-.  When 


56 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


the  steamer  had  disgorged  her  two  thousand  pas- 
sengers, Mr.  Mackrill  Smith,  whose  guest  I am, 
brought  me  in  a bamboo  chair,  carried  by  two  cool- 
ies, through  a covered  and  crowded  street  of  mer- 
chandise six  feet  wide,  to  Shameen,  the  island  in 
the  river  on  which  the  foreigners  reside  ; most  of 
the  missionary  community,  however,  living  in  the 
buildings  on  the  site  of  the  old  factory  farther 
down. 

I am  now  domiciled  on  Shameen,  a reclaimed  mud 
flat,  in  the  beautiful  house  belonging  to  the  firm  of 
Jardine,  Matheson  & Co.  This  island,  which  has  on 
the  one  side  the  swift  flowing  Canton  river,  with  its 
ever  shifting  life,  has  on  the  other  a canal,  on  which 
an  enormous  population  lives  in  house  boats, 
moored  stem  and  stern,  without  any  space  between 
them.  A stone  bridge  with  an  iron  gate  gives  ac- 
cess into  one  of  the  best  parts  of  Canton,  commer- 
cially speaking ; but  all  the  business  connected  with 
tea,  silk,  and  other  productions,  which  is  carried  on 
by  such  renowned  firms  as  Jardine,  Matheson  & Co., 
the  Dents,  the  Deacons,  and  others,  is  transacted 
in  these  handsome  dwellings  of  stone  or  brick,  each 
standing  in  its  tropical  garden,  with  a wall  or  orna- 
mental railing  or  bamboo  hedge  surrounding  it,  but 
without  any  outward  sign  of  commerce  at  all.  The 
settlement,  insular  and  exclusive,  hears  little  and 
knows  less  of  the  crowded  Chinese  city  at  its  gates. 
It  reproduces  English  life  as  far  as  possible,  and 
adds  a boundless  hospitality  of  its  own,  receiving 


ENGLAND  IN  CANTON. 


57 


all  strangers  who  are  in  any  way  accredited,  and 
many  who  are  not.  A high  sea-wall  with  a broad 
concrete  walk,  shaded  by  banyan  trees,  runs  round 
it,  a distance  of  a mile  and  a quarter.  It  is  quite 
flat  and  covered  with  carefully  kept  grass,  inter- 
sected with  concrete  walks  and  banyan  avenues,  the 
tropical  gardens  of  the  rich  merchants  giving  vari- 
ety and  color. 

The  community  at  present  consists  of  forty-five 
people  — English,  French,  and  German.  The  es- 
tablishment of  the  electric  telegraph  has  not  only 
favored  business,  but  has  enabled  some  of  the  sen- 
ior partners  of  the  old  firms  to  return  home,  leav- 
ing very  junior  partners  or  senior  clerks  here,  who 
receive  their  instructions  from  England.  Conse- 
quently, in  some  of  these  large  family  dwellings 
there  are  only  young  men  “ keeping  bach.”  There 
are  a pretty  English  church,  a club  bungalow,  a 
book  club,  lawn  tennis  and  croquet  grounds,  and  a 
small  hall  used  for  dancing,  lectures  and  amateur 
theatricals.  No  wheeled  vehicle  larger  than  a per- 
ambulator ever  disturbs  the  quiet.  People  who  go 
into  the  city  are  carried  in  chairs,  or  drop  down  the 
river  in  their  luxurious  covered  boats,  but  for  exer- 
cise they  mostly  walk  on  the  bund,  and  play  cro- 
quet or  lawn  tennis.  In  this  glorious  weather  the 
island  is  very  charming.  It  is  possible  to  spend  the 
whole  year  here,  as  the  tidal  breezes  modify  the 
moist  heat  of  summer  ; but  the  English  children 
look  pale  and  languid  even  now. 


5§ 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


Canton , January  4. — If  I were  to  describe  Can- 
ton, and  had  time  for  it,  my  letters  would  soon 
swell  to  the  size  of  Archdeacon  Gray’s  quaint  and 
fascinating  book,  “Walks  in  Canton  but  I have  no 
time,  and  must  content  myself  with  brief  sketches 
of  two  or  three  things  which  have  greatly  interested 
me,  and  of  the  arrangement  and  management  of  the 
city  ; putting  the  last  first,  if  I am  able  “ to  make 
head  or  tail  of  it,”  and  to  cram  its  leading  features 
into  a letter. 

Viewing  Canton  from  the  “five-storied  pagoda,” 
or  from  the  dignified  elevation  of  a pawn  tower,  it 
is  apparent  that  it  is  surrounded  by  a high  wall, 
beyond  which  here  and  there  are  suburban  villages, 
some  wealthy  and  wood-embosomed,  others  mean 
and  mangy.  The  river  divides  it  from  a very  pop- 
ulous and  important  suburb.  Within  the  city  lies 
the  kernel  of  the  whole,  the  Tartar  city,  occupied 
by  the  garrison  and  a military  colony  numbering 
about  twenty  thousand  persons.  This  interesting 
area  is  walled  round,  and  contains  the  residence  of 
the  Tartar  General,  and  the  consulates  of  the  great 
European  Powers.  It  is  well  wooded  and  less 
closely  built  than  the  rest  of  Canton.  Descending 
from  any  elevation  one  finds  oneself  at  once  in- 
volved at  any  and  every  point  in  a maze  of  narrow, 
crowded  streets  of  high  brick  and  stone  houses, 
mostly  from  five  to  eight  feet  wide.  These  streets 
are  covered  in  at  the  height  of  the  house  roofs  by 
screens  of  canvas  matting,  or  thin  boards,  which 


DRAINS  AND  BARRICADES. 


59 


afford  a pleasant  shade,  and  at  the  same  time  let  the 
sunbeams  glance  and  trickle  among  the  long,  pen- 
dent signboards  and  banners  which  swing  aloft, 
and  upon  the  busy,  many-colored,  jostling  throng 
below. 

Every  street  is  paved  with  large  slabs  of  granite, 
and  under  each  of  the  massive  foot-ways  (for  car- 
riage-ways there  are  none)  there  is  a drain  for 
carrying  off  the  rain-water,  which  is  then  conveyed 
into  six  larre  culverts,  from  them  into  four  creeks 
which  intersect  the  city,  and  thence  into  the  river. 
These  large  drains  are  supervised  by  the  “prefect,” 
who  is  bound  by  an  ancient  law  to  have  them  thor- 
oughly cleansed  every  autumn,  while  each  of  the 
small  drains  is  cleansed  by  the  orders  and  at  the 
expense  of  the  “vestry  ” of  the  street  under  which 
it  passes.  This  ancient  sanitary  law,  like  many 
other  of  the  admirable  laws  of  this  empire,  is  said 
to  be  by  no  means  punctiliously  carried  out ; and 
that  Canton  is  a very  healthy  city,  and  that  pesti- 
lences of  any  kind  rarely  gain  a footing  in  it,  may 
be  attributed  rather  to  the  excellent  plan  of  sending 
out  the  garbage  of  the  city  daily  to  fertilize  the 
gardens  and  fields  of  the  neighborhood,  than  to  the 
vigilance  of  the  municipal  authorities. 

There  are  heavy  and  ancient  gates  or  barricades 
which  enclose  each  street,  and  which  are  locked  at 
night,  only  to  be  opened  by  favor  of  the  watchmen 
who  guard  them.  Their  closing  brings  to  an  end 
the  busy  street  life,  and  at  io  p.m.  Canton,  cut  up 


6o 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


into  small  sections,  barred  out  from  each  other,  is 
like  a city  of  the  dead.  Each  gate  watchman  is 
appointed  and  paid  by  the  “ vestry  ” of  the  street 
in  which  he  keeps  guard.  They  wear  uniform,  but 
are  miserable  dilapidated-looking  creatures,  and  I 
have  twice  seen  one  fast  asleep.  In  the  principal 
streets  night  watchmen  are  stationed  in  watch- 
towers,  which  consist  of  small  mat  huts,  placed  on 
scaffolds  raised  far  above  the  house-tops,  on  bam- 
boo poles  bound  together  with  strong  cords.  These 
men  are  on  the  look-out  for  armed  bands  of  robbers, 
but  specially  for  fire.  They  are  provided  with 
tom-toms  and  small  gongs  on  which  to  proclaim  the 
hours  of  the  night,  but,  should  fire  arise,  a loud, 
rapid,  and  incessant  beating  of  the  gong  gives  the 
alarm  to  all  the  elevated  brotherhood  in  turn,  who 
at  the  same  time,  by  concerted  signals,  inform  the 
citizens  below  of  the  ward  and  street  in  which  the 
fire  has  originated.  In  each  principal  street  there 
is  a very  large  well,  covered  with  granite  slabs, 
with  its  exact  position  denoted  on  a granite  slab  on 
the  adjoining  wall.  These  wells,  which  are  abun- 
dant reservoirs,  are  never  opened  except  in  case  of 
fire. 

Besides  these  watchmen,  eleven  hundred  military 
constabulary  are  answerable  for  the  good  order  of 
the  “new  city”  and  its  suburbs,  and  a thousand 
more,  called  the  Governor’s  brigade,  garrison  the 
outer  gates  in  the  city  wall  and  several  interior 
guard-houses,  all  the  inner  gates  being  garrisoned 


HOUSES  AND  SHOPS.  6 1 

by  Tartar  troops.  Canton  is  divided  into  thirty- 
six  wards,  under  twelve  officers  in  summer,  but  in 
winter,  as  now,  when  burglars  are  supposed  to  be 
more  on  the  alert,  this  number  is  increased.  Each 
officer  having  soldiers  under  him  traverses  at  in- 
tervals during  the  night  every  street  under  his  ju- 
risdiction, and  these  armed  followers,  whether  to 
intimidate  criminals  or  to  show  their  vigilance,  are 
in  the  habit  of  discharging  their  old-fashioned 
matchlocks  and  gingalls  as  they  patrol.  In  con- 
sequence of  so  many  precautions,  which  are  carried 
out  very  thoroughly,  fires  and  burglaries  are 
much  minimized,  and  the  proverb  “as  safe  as  Can- 
ton ” appears  to  have  a substantial  foundation. 
The  barricaded  streets  at  night  have  an  eerie  so- 
lemnity about  them.  One  night,  my  present  host- 
ess, Mrs.  H.,  and  I prowled  through  some  of  them 
quite  unattended,  on  our  way  back  from  a friend’s 
dwelling,  roused  up  the  watchmen  to  unlock  and 
unbar  the  gates,  saw  no  other  people  astir,  went 
down  one  of  the  water  streets,  hailed  a boat,  and 
were  deposited  close  to  the  door  of  our  own  abode 
about  midnight;  such  an  event  being  quite  of  com- 
mon occurrence  in  this  quarter. 

In  the  streets  the  roofs  of  the  houses  and  shops 
are  rarely,  if  ever,  regular,  nor  are  the  houses  them- 
selves arranged  in  a direct  line.  This  queer  effect 
results  from  queer  causes.  Every  Chinese  house 
is  built  on  the  principles  of  geomancy,  which  do  not 
admit  of  straight  lines,  and  were  these  to  be  disre- 


62 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


garded  the  astrologers  and  soothsayers  under  whose 
auspices  all  houses  are  erected,  predict  fearful  evils 
to  the  impious  builders.  There  are  few  open  spaces 
in  Canton,  and  these  are  decorated,  not  with  stat- 
ues, but  with  monumental  arches  of  brick,  red  sand- 
stone, or  gray  granite,  which  are  put  up  as  memori- 
als of  virtuous  men  and  women,  learned  or  aged 
men,  and  specially  dutiful  sons  or  daughters.  Such 
memorials  are  erected  by  citizens,  and,  in  some 
cases,  by  Imperial  sanction  or  decree. 

The  public  buildings  and  temples,  though  they 
bear  magnificent  names,  are  extremely  ugly,  and 
are  the  subjects  of  slow  but  manifest  decay,  while 
the  streets  of  shops  exceed  in  picturesqueness  every- 
thing I have  ever  seen.  Much  of  this  is  given  by 
the  perpendicular  sign  boards,  fixed  or  hanging, 
upon  which  are  painted  on  an  appropriate  back- 
ground immense  Chinese  characters  in  gold,  ver- 
milion, or  black.  Two  or  three  of  these  belong  to 
each  shop,  and  set  forth  its  name  and  the  nature  of 
the  goods  which  are  to  be  purchased  at  it.  The 
effect  of  these  boards  as  the  sun’s  rays  fall  upon 
them  here  and  there  is  fascinating.  The  interiors 
of  the  shops  are  lofty,  glass  lamps  hang  from  the 
ceilings  and  large  lanterns  above  every  door,  and 
both  are  painted  in  bright  colors,  with  the  charac- 
ters signifying  happiness,  or  with  birds,  butterflies, 
flowers,  or  landscapes.  The  shop  wall  which  faces 
the  door  invariably  has  upon  it  a gigantic  fresco  or 
portrait  of  the  tutelary  god  of  the  building,  or  a 


STREET  PICTURESQUENESS. 


63 


sheet  of  red  paper  on  which  the  characters  forming 
his  name  are  placed,  or  the  character  Shan,  which 
implies  all  gods,  and  these  and  the  altars  below  are 
seen  from  the  street.  There  is  a recess  outside 
each  shop,  and  at  dusk  the  joss-sticks  burning  in 
these  fill  the  city  with  the  fragrance  of  incense. 

As  there  are  streets  of  shops  and  trades,  so  there 
are  streets  of  dwelling-houses,  but  even  the  finest 
of  these  present  a miserable  appearance  to  the  pass- 
ers-by, for  all  one  can  see  is  a lofty  and  dimlydighted 
stone  vestibule,  furnished  with  carved  ebony  chairs 
with  marble  seats  and  backs,  and  not  infrequently 
with  gigantic  coffins  placed  on  end,  the  gift  of  pious 
juniors  to  their  seniors  ! A porter  stands  in  this 
vestibule  ready  to  open  the  lofty  triple  gate  which 
admits  to  the  courtyard  of  the  interior.  Many 
Chinese  mansions  contain  six  or  seven  courtyards, 
each  with  its  colonnade,  drawing,  dining,  and  re- 
ception rooms,  and  at  the  back  of  all  there  is  a 
flower  garden  adorned  with  rockeries,  fish-ponds, 
dwarf  trees,  and  miniature  pagodas  and  bridges. 

The  streets  in  which  the  poor  dwell  are  formed 
of  low,  small,  dark,  and  dirty  houses,  of  two  or 
three  rooms  each.  The  streets  of  dwellings  are  as 
mean  and  ugly  as  those  of  shops  are  brilliant  and 
picturesque. 

This  is  a meagre  outline  of  what  may  be  called 
the  anatomy  of  this  ancient  city,  which  dates  from 
the  fourth  century  b.  c.,  when  it  was  walled  only  by 
a stockade  of  bamboo  and  mud,  but  was  known  by 


64 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


the  name  of  “ the  martial  city  of  the  south,”  changed 
later  into  “the  city  of  rams.”  At  this  date  it  has 
probably  greater  importance  than  it  ever  had,  and 
no  city  but  London  impresses  me  so  much  with 
the  idea  of  solid  wealth  and  increasing  prosperity. 

My  admiration  and  amazement  never  cease.  I 
grudge  the  hours  that  I am  obliged  to  spend  in 
sleep  ; a week  has  gone  like  half  a day,  each  hour 
heightening  my  impressions  of  the  fascination  and 
interest  of  Canton,  and  of  the  singular  force  and 
importance  of  the  Chinese.  Canton  is  intoxicating 
from  its  picturesqueness,  color,  novelty  and  move- 
ment. To-day  I have  been  carried  eighteen  miles 
through  and  round  it,  reveling  the  whole  time  in 
its  enchantments,  and  drinking  for  the  first  time  of 
that  water  of  which  it  may  truly  be  said  that  whoso 
drinks  “ shall  thirst  again  ” — true  Orientalism.  As 
we  sat  at  mid-day  at  the  five-storied  pagoda,  which 
from  a corner  of  the  outer  wall  overlooks  the  Tartar 
city,  and  ever  since,  through  this  crowded  week,  I 
have  wished  that  the  sun  would  stand  still  in  the 
cloudless  sky,  and  let  me  dream  of  gorgeous  sun- 
light, 1 ight  without  heat,  of  narrow  lanes  rich  in 
color,  of  the  glints  ol  sunlight  on  embroideries  and 
cloth  of  gold,  resplendent  even  in  the  darkness,  of 
hurrying  and  colored  crowds  in  the  shadow,  with 
the  blue  sky  in  narrow  strips  high  above,  of  gor- 
geous marriage  processions,  and  the  “ voice  of  the 
bridegroom  and  the  voice  of  the  bride,”  of  glitter- 
ing trains  of  mandarins,  of  funeral  processions,  with 


ORIENTAL  ENCHANTMENT. 


65 


the  wail  of  hired  mourners  clad  in  sackcloth  and 
ashes,  of  the  Tartar  city  with  its  pagodas,  of  the 
hills  of  graves,  great  cities  of  the  dead  outside  the 
walls,  fiery-red  under  the  tropic  blue,  of  the  “ pot- 
ter’s field  ” with  its  pools  of  blood  and  sacks  of 
heads,  and  crosses  for  crucifixion, — now,  as  on 
Calvary,  symbolical  of  shame  alone, — of  the  won- 
derful river  life,  and  all  the  busy,  crowded,  cos- 
tumed hurry  of  the  streets,  where  blue  banners 
hancbn^  here  and  there  show  that  in  those  houses 

b o 

death  has  stilled  some  busy  brains  forevermore. 
And  I should  like  to  tell  you  of  the  Buddhist  and 
Confucian  temples;  of  the  monastery  garden,  which 
is  the  original  of  the  famous  “ Willow  Pattern  of 
the  great  Free  Dispensary  which  is  to  rival  that  of 
the  Medical  Mission  ; of  the  asylums  for  lepers, 
foundlings,  the  blind,  aged  men  and  aged  women, 
dating  from  the  fourteenth  to  the  seventeenth  cen- 
turies, originally  well  conceived  and  noble  institu- 
tions, but  reduced  into  inefficiency  and  degradation 
by  the  greed  and  corruption  of  generations  of  of- 
ficials ; of  the  “ Beggars’  Square  ” and  beggars’  cus- 
toms ; of  the  trades,  and  of  the  shops  with  their 
splendors;  of  the  Examination  Hall  with  its  streets 
numbering  eleven  thousand  six  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-three cells  for  the  candidates  for  the  literary 
honors  which  are  the  only  road  to  office  and  dis- 
tinction in  China,  but  Canton  deserves  a volume, 
and  Archdeacon  Gray  has  written  one  ! 


5 


I.  L.  B. 


LETTER  IV. 


Rev.  B.  C.  Henry’s, 
Canton,  Jan.  6. 

In  the  week  in  which  I have  been  here  I have 
given  myself  up  to  ceaseless  sight-seeing.  Almost 
the  first  sight  that  I saw  on  arriving  in  this  quarter, 
which  is  in  Canton  itself,  was  a number  of  Christian 
refugees,  old  men,  women,  and  children,  who,  hav- 
ing fled  from  a bloody  persecution  which  is  being 
waged  against  Christianity  about  ninety  miles  from 
Canton,  are  receiving  shelter  in  the  compound  of 
the  German  mission.  It  was  late  in  the  evening, 
and  these  poor  refugees,  who  had  sacrificed  much 
for  their  faith  and  had  undergone  great  terror, 
were  singing  hymns,  and  reading  and  worshipping 
in  Chinese.  In  the  place  from  which  they  came  a 
Christian  of  wealth  wished  to  build  a church,  and 
last  week  he  was  proceeding  to  do  so,  when  the 
heathen,  instigated  by  the  district  mandarin,  seized 
upon  him  and  four  other  Christians,  and  when  he 
would  neither  say  the  word  nor  make  the  obei- 
sance which  is  regarded  as  equivalent  to  denying 
Christ,  they  wrapped  him  in  cotton  wadding  soaked 
in  oil,  tied  him  to  a cross,  and  burned  him,  no  ex- 
tremity of  torture  availing  to  shake  his  constancy. 

66 


“ FAITHFUL  UNTO  DEATH. 


6/ 


They  cut  off  the  arms  and  legs  of  the  four  other 
persons,  tied  crosses  to  the  trunks,  and  then  burned 
them.  This  deed,  done  so  near  Canton,  has  caused 
great  horror  among  the  foreigners  both  here  and  at 
Hong  Kong,  and  the  deepest  sympathy  is  felt  both 
with  the  converts  and  the  missionary  priests.  In 
the  sympathy  with  the  heroism  and  sufferings  of 
those  who  have  been  “ faithful  unto  death,”  all  the 
Protestant  missionaries  join  heartily,  as  in  the 
belief  that  these  victims  are  reckoned  among  “the 
noble  army  of  martyrs.”  It  is  estimated  that  there 
are  seven  hundred  and  fifty-thousand  Romish 
Christians  in  China,  many  of  them  of  the  third  or 
fourth  generation  of  Christians,  and  in  some  places 
far  in  the  interior  there  are  whole  villages  of  them. 
The  Portuguese  and  French  missionary  priests  who 
devote  themselves  for  life  to  this  work,  dress,  eat, 
and  live  as  Chinamen,  and  are  credited  with  great 
devotion. 

It  is  most  interesting  to  be  brought  by  the  spec- 
tacle of  these  poor  refugees  so  near  to  the  glory 
and  the  woe  of  martyrdom,  and  to  hear  that  the 
martyr  spirit  can  still  make  men  “obedient  unto 
death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross.”  A placard 
was  posted  up  some  time  ago  calling  for  a general 
massacre  of  the  native  Christians  on  Christmas 
Day.  It  attributes  every  vice  to  the  “ Foreign 
Devils,”  and  says  that,  “ to  preserve  the  peace  and 
purity  of  Chinese  Society,  those  whom  they  have 
corrupted  must  be  cut  off.”  One  phrase  of  this 


68 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


placard  is,  “ The  wickedness  of  these  foreign  devils 
is  so  great  that  even  pigs  and  dogs  would  refuse  to 
eat  their  flesh  ! ” 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  speak  Chinese,  and  are  both 
fearless,  and  familiar  with  the  phases  of  Canton 
life.  Of  all  the  places  I have  seen,  Canton  is  the 
most  overwhelmingly  interesting,  fascinating,  and 
startling.  “ See  Canton  and  die,”  I would  almost 
say,  and  yet  I can  give  no  idea  of  all  that  has  taken 
such  a strong  hold  of  me.  I should  now  be  quite 
content  to  see  only  the  manifold  street  life,  with  its 
crowds,  processions,  and  din,  and  the  strange  and 
ever-shifting  water  life,  altogether  distinct  from  the 
land  life.  The  rice-paper  pictures  give  a very  good 
idea  of  the  forms  and  colors  of  the  boats,  but  the 
thousands  of  them,  and  the  rate  at  which  they  are 
propelled,  are  altogether  indescribable,  either  by 
pen  or  pencil. 

There  are  junks  with  big  eyes  on  either  side  of 
the  stem,  “without  which  they  could  not  see  their 
way,”*  and  with  open  bows  with  two  six-pounders 
grinning  through  them.  Along  the  sides  there  are 
ten  guns,  and  at  the  lofty,  square,  quaint,  broad, 
carved  stern,  two  more.  This  heavy  armament  is 
carried  nominally  for  protection  against  pirates, 
but  its  chief  use  is  for  the  production  of  those  stun- 
ning noises  which  Chinamen  delight  in  on  all  occa- 
sions. In  these  helpless  and  unwieldy-looking  ves- 

* These  eyes  are  really  charms,  but  the  above  is  the  explanation  given  to 
“ griffins.” 


JUNKS  AND  BOATS. 


69 


sels  which  are  sailed  with  an  amount  of  noise  and 
apparent  confusion  which  is  absolutely  shocking  to 
any  one  used  to  our  strict  nautical  discipline,  the 
rudder  projects  astern  six  feet  and  more,  the  masts 
are  single  poles,  the  large  sails  of  fine  matting  ; and 
what  with  their  antique  shape,  rich  coloring,  lattice 
work  and  carving,  they  are  the  most  picturesque 
craft  afloat.  Then  there  are  “ passage  boats  ” from 
the  whole  interior  network  of  rivers  and  canals, 
each  district  having  its  special  rig  and  build,  recog- 
nizable at  once  by  the  initiated.  These  sail  when 
they  can,  and  when  they  can’t  are  propelled  by 
large  sweeps,  each  of  which  is  worked  by  six  men 
who  stand  on  a platform  outside.  These  boats  are 
always  heavily  laden,  crowded  with  passengers,  and 
“ armed  to  the  teeth  ” as  a protection  against  river 
pirates,  and  they  carry  crews  of  from  thirty-five  to 
fifty  men. 

At  some  distance  below  Shameen  there  are 
moored  tiers  of  large,  two-storied  house  boats,  with 
entrance  doors  seven  feet  high,  always  open,  and 
doorways  of  rich  wood  carving,  through  which  the 
interiors  can  be  seen  with  their  richly  decorated 
altars,  innumerable  colored  lamps,  chairs,  and  set- 
tees of  carved  ebony  with  white  marble  let  into  the 
seats  and  backs,  embroidered  silk  hangings,  gilded 
mirrors  and  cornices,  and  all  the  extravagances  of 
Chinese  luxury.  Many  of  them  have  gardens  on 
their  roofs.  These  are  called  “flower  boats,”  and 
are  of  noisy  and  evil  reputation.  Then  there  are 


7 o 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


tiers  of  three-roomed,  comfortable  house  boats  to 
let  to  people  who  make  their  homes  on  the  water 
in  summer  to  avoid  the  heat.  “ Marriage  boats,” 
green  and  gold,  with  much  wood  carving  and  flags, 
and  auspicious  emblems  of  all  kinds  ; river  junks, 
with  their  large  eyes  and  carved  and  castellated 
sterns  lying  moored  in  treble  rows  ; duck  boats, 
with  their  noisy  inmates ; florists’  boats,  with  plat- 
forms of  growing  plants  for  sale  ; two-storied  boats 
or  barges,  with  glass  sides,  floating  hotels,  in  which 
evening  entertainments  are  given  with  much  light 
and  noise ; restaurant  boats,  much  gilded,  from 
which  proceeds  an  incessant  beating  of  gongs ; 
washing  boats,  market  boats,  floating  shops,  which 
supply  the  floating  population  with  all  marketable 
commodities  ; country  boats  of  fantastic  form  com- 
ing down  on  every  wind  and  tide  ; and,  queerest  of 
all,  “ slipper  boats,”  looking  absurdly  like  big  shoes, 
which  are  propelled  in  and  out  among  all  the  heav- 
ier craft  by  standing  in  the  stern. 

One  of  the  most  marvelous  features  of  Canton 
is  the  city  of  house  boats,  floating  and  stationary, 
in  which  about  a quarter  of  a million  people  live, 
and  it  may  with  truth  be  added  are  born  and  die. 
This  population  is  quite  distinct  in  race  from  the 
land  population  of  Canton,  which  looks  down  upon 
it  as  a pariah  and  alien  caste.  These  house  boats, 
some  of  which  have  a single  bamboo  circular  roof, 
others  two  roofs  of  different  heights,  and  which  in- 
clude several  thousand  of  the  marvelous  “ slipper 


CANTON  AFLOAT. 


71 


boats,”  lie  in  tiers  along  the  river  sides,  and  packed 
closely  stem  and  stern  along  the  canals,  forming 
bustling  and  picturesque  water  streets.  Many  of 
the  boats  moored  on  the  canals  are  floating  shops, 
and  do  a brisk  trade,  one  end  of  the  boat  being  the 
shop,  the  other  the  dwelling-house.  As  the  “ slip- 
per boats  ” are  only  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  long, 
it  may  be  imagined,  as  their  breadth  is  strictly  pro- 
portionate, that  the  accommodation  for  a family  is 
rather  circumscribed,  yet  such  a boat  is  not  only 
the  home  of  a married  pair  and  their  children,  but 
of  the  eldest  son  with  his  wife  and  children,  and 
not  unfrequently  of  grandparents  also  ! The  bam- 
boo roofs  slide  in  a sort  of  telescope  fashion,  and 
the  whole  interior  space  can  be  inclosed  and 
divided.  The  bow  of  the  boat,  whether  large  or 
small,  is  always  the  family  joss-house  ; and  the 
water  is  starred  at  night  with  the  dull,  melancholy 
glimmer,  fainter,  though  redder  than  a glow-worm’s 
light,  of  thousands  of  burning  joss-sticks,  making 
the  air  heavy  with  the  odor  of  incense.  Unlike 
the  houses  of  the  poor  on  shore,  the  house  boats 
are  models  of  cleanliness,  and  space  is  utilized  and 
economized  by  adaptations  more  ingenious  than 
those  of  a tiny  yacht.  These  boats,  which  form 
neat  rooms  with  matted  seats  by  day,  turn  into  beds 
at  night,  and  the  children  have  separate  “rooms.” 
The  men  go  on  shore  during  the  day  and  do 
laborer’s  work,  but  the  women  seldom  land,  are 
devoted  to  “ housewifely  ” duties,  and  besides  are 


72 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


to  be  seen  at  all  hours  of  day  and  night  flying  over 
the  water,  plying  for  hire  at  the  landings,  and  ferry- 
ing  goods  and  passengers,  as  strong  as  men,  and 
clean,  comely,  and  pleasant-looking ; one  at  the 
stern  and  one  at  the  bow,  sending  the  floating  home 
along  with  skilled  and  sturdy  strokes.  They  are 
splendid  boat-women,  and  not  vociferous.  These 
women  don’t  bandage  their  feet. 

Their  dress  is  dark  brown  or  blue  cotton,  and 
consists  of  wide  trousers  and  a short,  loose,  sleeved 
upper  garment  up  to  the  throat.  The  feet  are  big 
and  bare,  the  hair  is  neat  and  drawn  back  from  the 
face  into  a stiff  roll  or  chignon,  and  they  all  wear 
jade-stone  earrings.  You  see  a woman  cooking  or 
sewing  in  most  housewifely  style  in  one  of  these 
“slipper  boats;”  but  if  you  hail  it,  she  is  plying  the 
heavy  oar  in  one  moment,  and  as  likely  as  not  with 
a wise-looking  baby  on  her  back,  supported  by  a 
square  piece  of  scarlet  cloth  embroidered  in  gold 
and  blue  silks.  Not  one  of  this  river  population  has 
yet  received  Christianity.  Very  little  indeed  is 
known  about  them  and  their  customs,  but  it  is  said 
that  their  morals  are  low,  and  that  when  infanticide 
was  less  discouraged  than  it  is  now,  the  river  was 
the  convenient  grave  of  many  of  their  newly-born 
female  children.  I spent  most  of  one  afternoon 
alone  in  one  of  these  boats,  diving  into  all  canals 
and  traversing  water  streets,  hanging  on  to  junks 
and  “ passage  boats,”  and  enjoying  the  variety  of 
river  life  to  the  full. 


THE  TARTAR  QUARTER. 


73 


On  another  day  I was  carried  eighteen  miles 
through  Canton  on  a chair  by  four  coolies,  Mr. 
Smith  and  his  brother  walking  the  whole  distance — 
a great  testimony  to  the  invigorating  influences  of 
the  winter  climate.  As  to  locomotion,  one  must 
either  walk  or  be  carried.  A human  being  is  not  a 
heavy  weight  for  the  coolies,  but  it  is  distressing  to 
see  that  the  shoulders  of  very  many  of  them  are 
suffering  from  bony  tumors,  arising  from  the 
pressure  of  the  poles.  We  lunched  in  the  open  air 
upon  a stone  table  under  a banyan-tree  at  the 
“ Five-storied  Pagoda  ” which  forms  the  north-east 
corner  of  the  great  wall  of  Canton,  from  which  we 
looked  down  upon  the  singular  vestiges  of  the 
nearly  forgotten  Tartar  conquest,  the  walled,  inner 
city  of  the  Tartar  conquerors,  containing  the  Tar- 
tar garrison,  the  Yamun  (official  residence)  of  the 
Tartar  governor,  the  houses  of  the  foreign  consuls, 
and  the  unmixed  Tartar  population.  The  streets 
of  this  foreign  kernel  of  Canton  are  narrow  and 
dirty,  with  mean,  low  houses  with  tiled  roofs  nearly 
flat,  and  small  courtyards,  more  like  the  houses  of 
Western  than  Eastern  Asia.  These  Tartars  do 
not  differ  much  in  physiognomy  from  the  Chinese. 
They  are  somewhat  uglier,  their  stature  is  shorter, 
and  the  women  always  wear  three  rings  in  their  ears. 
I saw  more  women  in  a single  street  in  one  day  in 
the  Tartar  city  than  I have  seen  altogether  in  the 
rest  of  Canton. 

The  view  from  that  corner  of  the  wall  (to  my 


74 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


thinking)  is  beautiful,  the  flaming  reel  pagoda  with 
its  many  roofs  ; the  singularly  picturesque  ancient 
gray  wall,  all  ups  and  downs,  watch-towers,  and 
strongholds,  the  Tartar  city  below,  with  the  “flow- 
ery pagoda,”  the  mosques,  the  bright  foliage  of  the 
banyan,  and  the  feathery  grace  of  the  bamboo  ; 
outside  the  wall  the  White-Cloud  hills,  and  nearer 
ranges  burrowed  everywhere  for  the  dead,  their  red 
and  pink  and  orange  hues  harmonized  by  a thin 
blue  veil,  softening  without  obscuring,  all  lying  in 
the  glory  of  the  tropic  winter  noon — light  without 
heat,  color  without  glare.  Vanish  all  memories  of 
grays  and  pale  greens  before  this  vividness,  this 
wealth  of  light  and  color ! Color  is  at  once  music 
and  vitality,  and  after  long  deprivation  I revel  in 
it. 

This  wall  is  a fine  old  structure,  about  twenty 
feet  wide  and  as  many  high,  with  a broad  pavement 
on  which  to  walk,  and  a high  platform  on  the  out- 
side, with  a battlement  pierced  for  marksmen.  It 
is  hardly  ever  level  for  ten  yards,  but  follows  the 
inequalities  of  the  ground,  and  has  picturesque 
towers  which  occur  frequently.  It  is  everywhere 
draped  with  ferns,  which  do  not  help  to  keep  it  in 
repair.  The  “ Five-storied  Pagoda,”  which  flames 
in  red  at  one  of  its  angles,  is  a striking  feature  in 
the  view.  As  we  sat  on  stone  seats  by  stone  tables 
in  what  might  be  called  its  shadow,  under  the  cloud- 
less heaven,  with  the  pure  Orientalism  of  the  Tar- 
tar city  spread  out  at  our  feet, — that  unimaginable 


A DISAPPOINTING  LUNCH. 


75 


Orientalism  which  takes  one  captive  at  once,  and, 
like  the  first  sight  of  a palm  or  a banana,  satisfies 
a longing  of  which  one  had  not  previously  been 
conscious, — a mundane  disappointment  was  severely 
felt.  We  had  been,  as  the  Americans  say,  “ exer- 
cising” for  five  hours  in  the  bracing  air,  and  I had 
long  been  conscious  of  a craving  for  solid  food 
which  no  Orientalism  could  satisfy  ; and  our  dis- 
may was  great  not  only  to  find  that  the  cook  had 
put  up  lunch  for  two  when  there  were  three  hungry 
persons,  but  that  the  chicken  was  so  underdone 
that  we  could  not  eat  it,  and  as  we  were  not  starv- 
ing enough  to  go  and  feed  at  a cat  and  dog  or  any 
other  Chinese  restaurant,  my  hosts  at  least,  who 
had  not  learned  that  bananas  are  sustenance  for 
men  as  well  as  “food  for  gods,”  were  famished. 
As  we  ate  “ clem  pie  ” or  “ dined  with  Duke  Hum- 
phrey,” two  water  buffaloes,  dark  gray  ungainly 
forms,  with  little  more  hair  than  elephants,  recurved 
horns,  and  muzzles  like  deer,  watched  us  closely, 
until  a Tartar  drove  them  off.  Such  beasts,  which 
stand  in  the  water  and  plaster  themselves  with  mud 
like  elephants,  are  the  cows  and  draught  oxen  of 
China.  Two  nice  Chinese  boys  sat  by  us,  and  Mr. 
Smith  practiced  Chinese  upon  them,  till  a man 
came  out  angrily  and  took  them  away,  using  many 
words,  of  which  we  only  understood  “ Barbarian 
Devils.”  The  Cantonese  are  not  rude,  however. 
A foreign  lady  can  walk  alone  without  being  actu- 
ally molested,  though  as  a rule  Chinese  women  are 


76  THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

not  seen  in  the  streets.  I have  certainly  seen  half 
a million  men,  and  not  more  than  ninety  women, 
and  those  only  of  the  poorest  class.  The  middle 
and  upper  class  women  never  go  out  except  in 
closed  palanquins  with  screened  windows,  and  are 
nearly  as  much  secluded  as  the  women  of  India. 

Passing  through  the  Tartar  city  and  some  streets 
of  aristocratic  dullness,  inhabited  by  wealthy  mer- 
chants, we  spent  some  hours  in  the  mercantile 
quarter ; which  is  practically  one  vast  market  or 
bazaar,  thronged  with  masculine  humanity  from 
morning  till  night.  Eight  feet  is  the  width  of  the 
widest  street  but  one,  and  between  the  passers-by, 
the  loungers,  the  people  standing  at  stalls  eating, 
or  drinking  tea,  and  the  itinerant  venders  of  goods, 
it  is  one  long  push.  Then,  as  you  are  elbowing 
your  feeble  self  among  the  big  men,  who  are  made 
truly  monstrous  by  their  many  wadded  garments  of 
silk  and  brocade,  you  are  terrified  by  a loud  yell, 
and  being  ignominiously  hustled  out  of  the  wayt 
you  become  aware  that  the  crowd  has  yielded  place 
to  a procession,  consisting  of  several  men  in  red, 
followed  by  a handsome  closed  palanquin,  borne 
by  four,  six,  or  eight  bearers  in  red  liveries,  in  which 
reclines  a stout,  magnificently  dressed  mandarin, 
utterly  oblivious  of  his  inferiors,  the  representative 
of  high  caste  feeling  all  the  world  over,  either  read- 
ing  or  absorbed,  never  taking  any  notice  of  the 
crowds  and  glitter  which  I find  so  fascinating. 
More  men  in  red,  and  then  the  crowd  closes  up 


STREET  SIGHTS  AND  SOUNDS. 


77 


again,  to  be  again  divided  by  a plebeian  chair  like 
mine,  or  by  pariahs  running  with  a coffin  fifteen 
feet  long,  shaped  like  the  trunk  of  a tree,  or  by 
coolies  carrying  burdens  slung  on  bamboo  poles, 
uttering  deafening  cries,  or  by  a marriage  proces- 
sion with  songs  and  music,  or  by  a funeral  proces- 
sion with  weeping  and  wailing,  succeeding  each  other 
incessantly.  All  the  people  in  the  streets  are  shout- 
ing at  the  top  of  their  voices,  the  chair  and  baggage 
coolies  are  yelling,  and  to  complete  the  bewildering 
din  the  beggars  at  every  corner  are  demanding 
charity  by  striking  two  gongs  together. 

Color  riots  in  these  narrow  streets,  with  their 
high  houses  with  projecting  upper  stories,  much 
carved  and  gilded,  their  deeply  projecting  roofs  or 
eaves  tiled  with  shells  cut  into  panes,  which  let  the 
light  softly  through,  while  a sky  of  deep  bright  blue 
fills  up  the  narrow  slit  between.  Then  in  the  shadow 
below,  which  is  fitfully  lighted  by  the  sunbeams, 
hanging  from  all  the  second  stories  at  every  possible 
interval  of  height,  each  house  having  at  least  two, 
are  the  richly  painted  boards  of  which  I wrote  before, 
from  six  to  ten  feet  long,  some  black,  some  heavily 
gilded,  a few  orange,  but  the  majority  red  and  per- 
fectly plain,  except  for  the  characters  several  inches 
long  down  the  middle  of  each,  gold  on  the  red  and 
black,  and  black  on  the  gold  and  orange — these, 
with  banners,  festoons,  and  the  bright  blue  draper- 
ies which  for  a hundred  days  indicate  mourning  in 
a house,  form  together  a spectacle  of  street  pictur- 


78 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


esqueness  such  as  my  eyes  have  never  before  be- 
held. Then  all  the  crowd  is  in  costume,  and  such 
costume ! The  prevailing  color  for  the  robe  is 
bright  blue.  Even  the  coolies  put  on  such  a one 
when  not  working,  and  all  above  the  coolies  wear 
them  in  rich,  ribbed  silk,  lined  with  silk  of  a darker 
shade.  Over  this  a sleeveless  jacket  of  rich  dark 
blue  or  puce  brocade,  plain  or  quilted,  is  worn,  the 
trousers,  of  which  little  is  seen,  being  of  brocade  or 
satin.  The  stockings  are  white,  and  the  shoes, 
which  are  on  thick,  white,  canoe-shaped  soles,  are 
of  black  satin.  The  cap,  which  is  always  worn,  and 
quite  on  the  back  of  the  head,  is  of  black  satin,  and 
the  pigtail,  or  plait  of  hair  and  purse  silk  mixed, 
hangs  down  nearly  to  the  bottom  of  the  robe.  Then 
the  most  splendid  furs  are  worn,  and  any  number  of 
quilted  silk  and  brocade  garments,  one  above  an- 
other. And  these  big,  prosperous-looking  men,  who 
are  so  richly  dressed,  are  only  the  shopkeepers  and 
the  lower  class  of  merchants.  The  mandarins  and  the 
rich  merchants  seldom  put  their  feet  to  the  ground. 

The  shops  just  now  are  filled  with  all  sorts  of 
brilliant  and  enticing  things  in  anticipation  of  the 
great  festival  of  the  New  Year,  which  begins  on  the 
2 1 st.  At  the  New  Year  they  are  all  closed,  and 
the  rich  merchants  vie  with  each  other  in  keeping 
them  so  ; those  whose  shops  are  closed  the  longest, 
sometimes  even  for  two  months,  gaining  a great 
reputation  for  wealth  thereby.  Streets  are  given 
up  to  shops  of  one  kind.  Thus  there  is  the  “Jade- 


FOOD  AND  REST  A URANTS. 


79 


Stone  Street,”  entirely  given  up  to  the  making  and 
sale  of  jade-stone  jewelry,  which  is  very  costly,  a 
single  bracelet  of  the  finest  stone  and  workmanship 
costing  ^600.  There  is  a whole  street  devoted  to 
the  sale  of  coffins  ; several  in  which  nothing  is  sold 
but  furniture,  from  common  folding  tables  up  to  the 
costliest  settees,  bedsteads,  and  chairs  of  massive 
ebony  carving ; chinaware  streets,  book  and  en- 
graving streets,  streets  of  silk  shops,  streets  of 
workers  in  brass,  silver,  and  gold,  who  perform  their 
delicate  manipulations  before  your  eyes  ; streets  of 
second-hand  clothing,  where  gorgeous  embroideries 
in  silk  and  gold  can  be  bought  for  almost  nothing  ; 
and  so  on,  every  street  blazing  with  colors,  splendid 
with  costume,  and  abounding  with  wealth  and 
variety. 

We  went  to  a “dog  and  cat  restaurant,”  where  a 
number  of  richly  dressed  men  were  eating  of  savory 
dishes  made  from  the  flesh  of  these  animals.  There 
are  thousands  of  butchers’  and  fishmongers’  shops 
in  Canton.  At  the  former  there  are  always  hun- 
dreds of  split  and  salted  ducks  hanging  on  lines, 
and  pigs  of  various  sizes  roasted  whole,  or  sold  in 
joints  raw  ; and  kids  and  buffalo  beef,  and  numbers 
of  dogs  and  cats,  which,  though  skinned,  have  the 
tails  on  to  show  what  they  are.  I had  some  of  the 
gelatinous  “ birds’-nest  ” soup,  without  knowing 
what  it  was.  It  is  excellent  ; but  as  these  nests  are 
brought  from  Sumatra  and  are  very  costly,  it  is  only 
a luxury  of  the  rich.  The  fish  shops  and  stalls  are 


8o 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


legion,  but  the  fish  looks  sickening,  as  it  is  always 
cut  into  slices  and  covered  with  blood.  The  boiled 
chrysalis  of  a species  of  silkworm  is  exposed  for  sale 
as  a great  delicacy,  and  so  are  certain  kinds  of  hair- 
less, fleshy  caterpillars. 

In  our  peregrinations  we  came  upon  a Yamun, 
with  its  vestibule  hung  with  scarlet,  the  marriage 
color  as  well  as  the  official  color.  Within  the  door 
the  “ wedding  garments  ” were  hanging  for  the  wed- 
ding guests,  scarlet  silk  crepe,  richly  embroidered. 
Some  time  later  the  bridal  procession  swept  through 
the  streets,  adding  a new  glory  to  the  color  and 
movement.  First  marched  a troop  of  men  in  scar- 
let, carrying  scarlet  banners,  each  one  emblazoned 
with  the  literary  degrees  of  the  bride’s  father  and 
grandfather.  Then  came  ten  heavily  gilded,  carved, 
and  decorated  pavilions,  containing  the  marriage 
presents,  borne  on  poles  on  the  shoulders  of  serv- 
ants ; and  after  them  the  bride,  carried  in  a locked 
palanquin  to  the  bridegroom’s  house,  completely 
shrouded,  the  palanquin  one  mass  of  decoration  in 
gold  and  blue  enamel,  the  carving  fully  six  inches 
deep  ; and  the  procession  was  closed  by  a crowd  of 
men  in  scarlet,  carrying  the  bridegroom’s  literary 
degrees,  with  banners,  and  instruments  of  music. 
It  is  the  China  of  a thousand  years  ago,  unaltered 
by  foreign  contact. 

There  are  many  beggars,  and  a “ Beggars’  Square,” 
and  the  beggars  have  a “ king,”  and  a regular  guild, 
with  an  entrance  fee  of  £i.  The  shopkeepers  are 


TEMPLES  AND  WORSHIP. 


81 


obliged  by  law  to  give  them  a certain  sum,  and  on 
the  occasion  of  a marriage  or  any  other  festivity, 
the  giver  sends  a fee  to  the  “king,”  on  the  under- 
standing that  he  keeps  his  lieges  from  bothering 
the  guests.  They  make  a fearful  noise  with  their 
two  gongs.  There  is  one  on  the  Shameen  bridge 
who  has  a callosity  like  a horn  on  his  forehead, 
with  which  he  strikes  the  pavement  and  produces 
an  audible  thump. 

After  the  cleanliness,  beauty,  and  good  repair  of 
the  Japanese  temples,  those  of  Canton  impress  me 
as  being  very  repulsive.  In  Japan  the  people  pre- 
serve their  temples  for  their  exquisite  beauty,  and 
there  are  a great  many  sincere  Buddhists  ; but  China 
is  irreligious  ; a nation  of  atheists  or  agnostics,  or 
slaves  of  impious  superstitions.  In  an  extended 
tramp  among  temples  I have  not  seen  a single  male 
worshiper  or  a thing  to  please  the  eye.  The  Con- 
fucian  temples,  to  which  mandarinism  resorts  on 
certain  days  to  bow  before  the  Confucian  tablets, 
are  now  closed,  and  their  courts  are  overgrown  with 
weeds.  The  Buddhist  temples  are  hideous,  both 
outside  and  inside,  built  of  a crumbling  red  brick, 
with  very  dirty  brick  floors,  and  the  idols  are  fright- 
ful and  tawdry.  We  went  to  several  which  have 
large  monasteries  attached  to  them,  with  great  un- 
tidy gardens,  with  ponds  for  sacred  fish  and  sacred 
tortoises,  and  houses  for  sacred  pigs,  whose  sacred- 
ness is  shown  by  their  monstrous  obesity.  In  the 
garden  of  the  Temple  of  Longevity,  the  scene  of 
6 


82 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


the  “Willow  Pattern,”  dirty  and  degraded  priests, 
in  spite  of  a liberal  doticcur  to  one  of  them,  set 
upon  us,  clamoring  kum-sha , attempting  at  the  same 
time  to  shut  us  in,  and  the  two  gentlemen  were 
obliged  to  use  force  for  our  extrication.  In  the 
court  of  the  “Temple  of  Horrors,”  which  is  sur- 
rounded by  a number  of  grated  cells  containing  life- 
sized  figures  of  painted  wood,  undergoing  at  the 
hands  of  other  fioaires  such  hell-torments  as  are  de- 

o 

creed  for  certain  offences,  there  is  perpetually  a 
crowd  of  fortune-tellers,  and  numbers  of  gaming 
tables  always  thronged  with  men  and  boys.  Each 
temple  has  an  accretion  of  smaller  temples  or  shrines 
round  it,  but  most,  on  ordinary  occasions,  are  de- 
serted, and  all  are  neglected  and  dirty.  Where  we 
saw  worshipers  they  were  always  women,  some  of 
whom  looked  very  earnest,  as  they  were  worshiping 
for  sick  children,  or  to  obtain  boys,  or  to  insure  the 
fidelity  of  their  husbands.  “Worship”  consists  in 
many  prostrations,  in  the  offering  of  many  joss- 
sticks,  and  in  burning  large  squares  of  gilded  paper, 
this  being  supposed  to  be  the  only  way  in  which 
gold  can  reach  either  gods  or  ancestors.  One  or 
two  of  the  smaller  temples  were  thronged  by  women 
of  the  poorest  class,  whose  earnest  faces  were  very 
touching.  Idolatry  is  always  pathetic.  It  is  not, 
however,  idol  worship  which  sits  like  a nightmare 
on  China,  and  crushes  atheists,  agnostics,  and  hea- 
thens alike,  but  ancestral  worship,  and  the  tyranny 
of  the  astrologers  and  geoinancers. 


SMALL-FOOTED  WOMEN. 


I like  the  faces  of  the  lower  orders  of  Chinese 
women.  They  are  both  strong  and  kind,  and  it  is 
pleasant  to  see  women  not  deformed  in  any  way, 
but  clothed  completely  in  a dress  which  allows 
perfect  freedom  of  action.  The  small-footed  women 
are  rarely  seen  out  of  doors  ; but  the  sewing-woman 
at  Mrs.  Smith’s  has  crippled  feet,  and  I have  got 
her  shoes,  which  are  too  small  for  the  English  baby 
of  four  months  old  ! The  butler’s  little  daughter, 
aged  seven,  is  having  her  feet  “ bandaged  ” for  the 
first  time,  and  is  in  torture,  but  bears  it  bravely  in 
the  hope  of  “getting  a rich  husband.”  The  sole 
of  the  shoe  of  a properly  diminished  foot  is  about 
two  inches  and  a half  long,  but  the  mother  of  this 
suffering  infant  says,  with  a quiet  air  of  truth  and 
triumph,  that  Chinese  women  suffer  less  in  the 
process  of  being  crippled  than  foreign  women  do 
from  wearing  corsets!  To  these  Eastern  women 
the  notion  of  deforming  the  figure  for  the  sake  of 
appearance  only  is  unintelligible  and  repulsive. 
The  crippling  of  the  feet  has  another  motive. 

I.  L.  B. 


LETTER  IV. — ( Continued, ’) 

Yesterday,  after  visiting  the  streets  devoted  to 
jade-stone  workers,  jewelers,  saddlers,  dealers  in 
musical  instruments,  and  furriers,  we  turned  aside 
from  the  street  called  Sze-P’aai-Lau,  into  a small, 
dirty  square,  on  one  side  of  which  is  a brick  wall, 
with  a large  composite  quadruped  upon  it  in  black 
paint,  and  on  the  other  the  open  entrance  gate  of 
the  Yamun,  or  official  residence  of  the  mandarin 
whose  jurisdiction  extends  over  about  half  Canton, 
and  who  is  called  the  Naam-Hoi  magistrate.  Both 
sides  of  the  road  passing  through  this  square,  and 
especially  the  open  space  in  front  of  the  gate  which 
leads  into  the  courtyard  of  the  Yamun,  were 
crowded  with  unshaven,  ragged,  forlorn,  dirty 
wretches,  heavily  fettered  round  their  ankles,  and 
with  long  heavy  chains  padlocked  round  their  necks, 
attached,  some  to  large  stones  with  holes  in  the 
centre,  others  to  short  thick  bars  of  iron.  Two  or 
three,  into  whose  legs  the  ankle  fetters  had  cut 
deep  raw  grooves,  were  lying  in  a heap  on  a ragged 
mat  in  the  corner;  some  were  sitting  on  stones,  but 
most  were  standing  or  shifting  their  position  un- 
easily, dragging  their  weighty  fetters  about,  making 
a jarring  and  dismal  clank  with  every  movement. 

84 


OUTSIDE  THE  N A A M-HO I PRISON.  85 

These  unfortunates  are  daily  exposed  thus  to  the 
scorn  and  contempt  of  the  passers-by  as  a punish- 
ment for  small  thefts.  Of  those  who  were  seated 
on  stones  or  who  were  kneeling  attempting  to  sup- 
port themselves  on  their  hands,  most  wore  square 
wooden  collars  of  considerable  size,  weighing  thirty 
pounds  each,  round  their  necks.  These  cangues 
are  so  constructed  that  it  is  impossible  for  their 
wearers  to  raise  their  hands  to  their  mouths  for  the 
purpose  of  feeding  themselves,  and  it  seemed  to  be 
a choice  pastime  for  small  boys  to  tantalize  these 
criminals  by  placing  food  tied  to  the  end  of  sticks 
just  within  reach  of  their  mouths,  and  then  suddenly 
withdrawing  them.  Apart  from  the  weight  of  their 
fetters,  and  of  the  cangue  in  which  they  are  thus 
pilloried,  these  men  suffer  much  from  hunger  and 
thirst.  They  are  thus  punished  for  petty  larcenies. 
Surely  “ the  way  of  transgressors  is  hard.” 

The  bearers  set  me  down  at  the  gate  of  the 
Yamun  amono;  the  festering  wretches  dragging-  the 
heavy  weights,  the  filthy  and  noisy  beggars,  the 
gamblers,  the  fortune-tellers,  the  messengers  of 
justice,  and  the  countless  hangers-on  of  the  prison 
and  judgment-seat  of  the  Naam-Hoi  magistrate,  and 
passing  through  a part  of  the  courtyard,  and  down 
a short,  narrow  passage,  enclosed  by  a door  of 
rough  wooden  uprights,  above  which  is  a tiger’s 
head,  with  staring  eyes  and  extended  jaws,  we 
reached  the  inner  entrance,  close  to  which  is  a much 
blackened  altar  of  incense,  foul  with  the  ashes  of 


86 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


innumerable  joss-sticks,  and  above  it  an  equally 
blackened  and  much  worn  figure  of  a tirer  in  grranite. 
To  this  beast,  which  is  regarded  by  the  Chinese  as 
possessing  virtue,  and  is  the  tutelary  guardian  of 
Chinese  prisons,  the  jailers  offer  incense  and 
worship  night  and  day,  with  the  object  of  securing 
its  aid  and  vigilance  on  their  behalf. 

Close  to  the  altar  were  the  jailers’  rooms,  dark, 
dirty,  and  inconceivably  forlorn.  Two  of  the  jailers 
were  lying  on  their  beds  smoking  opium.  There 
we  met  the  head  jailer,  of  all  Chinamen  that  I 
have  seen  the  most  repulsive  in  appearance,  manner, 
and  dress ; for  his  long  costume  of  frayed  and 
patched  brown  silk  looked  as  if  it  had  not  been 
taken  off  for  a year;  the  lean,  brown  hands  which 
clutched  the  prison  keys  with  an  instinctive  grip 
were  dirty,  and  the  nails  long  and  hooked  like 
claws,  and  the  face,  worse,  I thought,  than  that  of 
any  of  the  criminal  horde,  and  scored  with  lines  of 
grip  and  greed,  was  saturated  with  opium  smoke. 
This  wretch  pays  for  his  place,  and  in  a few  years 
will  retire  with  a fortune,  gains  arising  from  bribes 
wrung  from  prisoners  and  their  friends  by  threats 
and  torture,  and  by  defrauding  them  daily  of  a part 
of  their  allowance  of  rice. 

The  prison,  as  far  as  I can  learn,  consists  mainly 
of  six  wards,  each  with  four  large  apartments,  the 
walls  of  these  wards  abutting  upon  each  other,  and 
forming  a parallelogram,  outside  of  which  is  a nar- 
row, paved  pathway,  on  which  the  gates  of  the 


CRIME  AND  MISERY. 


87 


wards  open,  and  which  has  on  its  outer  side  the 
high  boundary  wall  of  the  prison.  This  jailer,  this 
fiend, — made  such  by  the  customs  of  his  country — 
took  us  down  a passage,  and  unlocking  a wooden 
grating  turned  us  into  one  of  the  aforesaid  “wards,” 
a roughly  paved  courtyard  about  fifty  feet  long  by 
twenty-four  broad,  and  remained  standing  in  the 
doorway  jangling  his  keys. 

If  crime,  vice,  despair,  suffering,  filth  and  cruelty 
can  make  a hell  on  earth,  this  is  one.  Over  its 
dismal  gateway  may  well  be  written,  “Whoso 
enters  "here  leaves  hope  behind.” 

This  ward  is  divided  into  four  “ apartments,” 
each  one  having  a high  wall  at  the  back.  The 
sides  next  the  court  are  formed  of  a double  row  of 
strong  wooden  bars,  black  from  age  and  dirt,  which 
reach  from  the  floor  to  the  roof,  and  let  in  light 
and  air  through  the  chinks  between  them.  The 
interiors  of  these  cribs  or  cattle-pens  are  roughly 
paved  with  slabs  of  granite,  slimy  with  accumula- 
tions of  dirt.  In  the  middle  and  round  the  sides 
are  stout  platforms  of  laths,  forming  a coarse, 
black  gridiron,  on  which  the  prisoners  sit  and  sleep. 

In  each  ward  there  is  a shrine  of  a deity  who  is 
supposed  to  have  the  power  of  melting  the  wicked 
into  contrition,  and  to  this  accursed  mockery,  on 
his  birthday,  the  prisoners  are  compelled  to  give  a 
feast,  which  is  provided  by  the  jailer  out  of  his 
peculations  from  their  daily  allowances.  No  water 
is  allowed  for  washing,  and  the  tubs  containing  the 


88 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


allowance  of  foul  drinking  water  are  placed  close  to 
those  which  are  provided  for  the  accumulation  of 
night  soil,  etc.,  the  contents  of  which  are  only  re- 
moved once  a fortnight.  Two  pounds  of  rice  is 
the  daily  allowance  of  each  prisoner,  but  this  is  re- 
duced to  about  one  by  the  greed  of  the  jailer. 

As  we  entered  the  yard,  fifty  or  sixty  men 
swarmed  out  from  the  dark  doorways  which  led 
into  their  dens,  all  heavily  chained,  with  long, 
coarse,  matted  hair  hanging  in  wisps,  or  standing 
on  end  round  their  death-like  faces,  in  filthy  rags, 
with  emaciated  forms  caked  with  dirt,  and  bearing 
marks  of  the  torture ; and  nearly  all  with  sore  eyes, 
swelled  and  bleeding  lips,  skin  diseases,  and  putre- 
fying sores.  These  surrounded  us  closely,  and  as, 
not  without  a shudder,  I passed  through  them  and 
entered  one  of  their  dens,  they  pressed  upon  us, 
blocking  out  the  light,  uttering  discordant  cries, 
and  clamoring  with  one  voice,  kum-shci,  i.e  , back- 
sheesh, looking  more  like  demons  than  living  men, 
as  abject  and  depraved  as  crime,  despair,  and 
cruelty  can  make  them. 

Within,  the  blackness,  the  filth,  the  vermin,  the 
stench,  overpowering  even  in  this  cool  weather,  the 
rubbish  of  rags  and  potsherds,  cannot  be  described. 
Here  in  semi-starvation  and  misery,  with  nameless 
cruelties  practised  upon  them  without  restfaint, 
festering  in  one  depraved  mass,  are  the  tried  and 
untried,  the  condemned,  the  guilty  and  innocent  (?), 
the  murderer  and  pirate,  the  debtor  and  petty  thief, 


“ PRISONERS  AND  CAPTIVES .”  89 

all  huddled  together,  without  hope  of  exit  except 
to  the  adjacent  judgment-seat,  with  its  horrors  of 
“ the  question  by  torture,”  or  to  the  “ field  of  blood  ” 
not  far  away.  On  earth  can  there  be  seen  a spec- 
tacle more  hideous  than  these  abject  wretches,  with 
their  heavy  fetters  eating  into  the  flesh  of  their 
necks  and  ankles  (if  on  their  wasted  skeletons,  cov- 
ered with  vermin  and  running  sores,  there  is  any 
flesh  left),  their  thick  matted,  bristly,  black  hair — 
contrasting-  with  the  shaven  heads  of  the  free — 
the  long,  broken  claws  on  their  fingers  and  toes, 
the  hungry  look  in  their  emaciated  faces,  and 
their  clamorous  cry,  kum-sha  / kum-sha / They 
thronged  round  us  clattering  their  chains,  one  man 
saying  that  they  had  so  little  rice  that  they  had  to 
“ drink  the  foul  water  to  fill  themselves  ; ” another 
shrieked,  “ Would  I were  in  your  prison  in  Hong 
Kong,”  and  this  was  chorused  by  many  voices  say- 
ing, “ In  your  prison  at  Hong  Kong  they  have  fish 
and  vegetables,  and  more  rice  than  ‘they  can  eat, 
and  baths,  and  beds  to  sleep  on  ; good,  good  is  the 
prison  of  your  Queen  !”  but  higher  swelled  the  cry 
of  kum-sha , and  as  we  could  not  give  alms  among 
several  hundred,  we  eluded  them,  though  with  dif- 
ficulty, and,  as  we  squeezed  through  the  narrow 
door,  execrations  followed  us,  and  high  above  the 
heavy  clank  of  the  fetters  and  the  general  din  rose 
the  cry,  “Foreign  Devils”  (Fan-Kwai),  as  we 
passed  out  into  sunshine  and  liberty,  and  the  key 
was  turned  upon  them  and  their  misery. 


9° 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


We  went  into  three  other  large  wards,  foul  with 
horror,  and  seething  with  misery,  and  into  a smaller 
one,  nearly  as  bad,  where  fifteen  women  were  in- 
carcerated, some  of  them  with  infants  devoured  by 
cutaneous  diseases.  Several  of  them  said  that  they 
are  there  for  kidnapping,  but  others  are  hostages 
for  criminal  relations  who  have  not  yet  been 
captured.  This  imprisonment  of  hostages  is  in 
accordance  with  a law  which  authorizes  the  seizure 
and  detention  of  persons  or  families  belonging  to 
criminals  who  have  fled  or  are  in  concealment. 
Such  are  imprisoned  till  the  guilty  relative  is 
brought  to  justice,  for  months,  years,  or  even  for  a 
lifetime.  Two  of  these  women  told  us  that  they 
had  been  there  for  twenty  years. 

There  are  likewise  some  single  cells — hovels 
clustering  under  a wall,  in  which  criminals  who  can 
afford  to  pay  the  jailer  for  them  may  enjoy  the 
luxury  of  solitude.  In  each  ward  there  is  a single 
unfettered  mhn, — always  a felon, — who  by  reason 
either  of  bribery  or  good  conduct,  is  appointed  to 
the  place  of  watchman  or  spy  among  his  fellows  in 
crime.  There  is  a turnkey  for  each  ward,  and 
these  men,  with  the  unchained  felons  who  act  as 
watchmen,  torture  new  arrivals  in  order  to  force 
money  from  them,  and  under  this  process  some 
die. 

In  the  outer  wall  of  the  prison  there  is  a port- 
hole, just  large  enough  to  allow  of  a body  being 
pushed  through  it,  for  no  malefactor’s  corpse  must 


CRUELTIES  AND  INIQUITIES. 


91 


be  carried  through  the  prison  entrance,  lest  it 
should  defile  the  “Gate  of  Righteousness.”  There 
is  also  a hovel  called  a deadhouse,  into  which  these 
bodies  are  conveyed  till  a grave  has  been  dug  in 
some  “ accursed  place,”  by  members  of  an  “ ac- 
cursed ” class. 

In  addition  to  the  large  mortality  arising  from 
poor  living  and  its  concomitant  diseases,  and  the 
exhaustion  produced  by  repeated  torture,  epidemics 
frequently  break  out  in  the  hot  weather  in  those 
dark  and  fetid  dens,  and  oftentimes  nearly  clear 
out  the  prison.  On  such  occasions  as  many  as  four 
hundred  have  succumbed  in  a month.  The  num- 
ber of  criminals  who  are  executed  from  this  prison, 
either  as  sentenced  to  death,  or  as  unable  to  bribe 
the  officials  any  further,  is  supposed  to  be  about 
five  hundred  annually,  and  it  is  further  supposed 
that  half  this  number  die  annually  from  starvation 
and  torture.  Sometimes  one  hundred  criminals  are 
beheaded  in  an  hour,  as  it  is  feared  may  be  the  case 
on  the  Governor  going  out  of  office,  when  it  is  not 
unusual  to  make  a jail  delivery  in  this  fashion. 

In  numerous  cases,  when  there  is  a press  of  busi- 
ness before  the  judgment-seat  and  a dead-lock  oc- 
curs, accusers  and  witnesses  are  huddled  indiscrimi- 
nately into  the  Naam-Hoi  prison,  sometimes  for 
months;  and  as  the  Governor  or  magistrate  takes 
no  measures  to  provide  for  them  during  the  interval, 
some  of  the  poorer  ones  who  have  no  friends  to 
bribe  the  jailer  on  their  behalf,  perish  speedily. 


92 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


At  night,  in  the  dens  which  I have  described,  the 
hands  of  the  prisoners  are  chained  to  their  necks, 
and  even  in  the  daytime  only  one  hand  is  liberated. 
I thought  that  many  of  the  faces  looked  quite  im- 
becile. The  jailer,  as  we  went  out,  kept  holding 
out  his  long-clawed,  lean,  brown  hand,  muttering 
about  his  promised  hum-sha,  very  fearful  lest  the 
other  turnkeys,  who  were  still  lying  on  their  beds 
smoking  opium,  should  come  in  for  any  share  of  it. 

Mr.  Henry,"'  my  host  and  very  able  cicerone,  is 
an  American  missionary,  and  as  such  carries  with 
him  the  gospel  of  peace  on  earth  and  good  will  to 
men.  Surely  if  the  knowledge  of  Him  who  came 
“to  preach  liberty  to  the  captive,  and  the -opening 
of  the  prison  to  them  that  are  bound,”  were  diffused 
and  received  here,  and  vmre  spread  with  no  niggard 
hand,  the  prison  of  the  Naam-Hoi  magistrate,  with 
its  unspeakable  horrors,  vmuld  go  the  vray  of  all 
our  dungeons  and  bedlams. 

But  this  is  not  all.  From  the  prison  it  is  only  a 
short  distance  to  the  judgment-seat,  and  passing 
once  more  through  the  “ Gate  of  Righteousnesss,” 
we  crossed  a large  court  infested  by  gamblers  and 


* I cannot  forbear  adding  a note  on  the  extent  of  Mr.  Henry’s  work  in 
1881.  He  preached  190  times  in  Chinese,  and  five  times  in  English  ; held 
fifty-two  Bible-class  meetings,  and  thirteen  communion  services  ; baptized 
forty-five  adults  and  eight  children  ; traveled  on -mission  work  by  boat  2,540 
miles,  by  chair,  eighty  miles,  and  on  foot,  670  miles;  visited  280  different 
towns  and  villages,  and  distributed  14,000  books,  receiving  assistance  in  the 
latter  work  only  on  one  short  journey.  His  life  is  a happy  combination  of 
American  energy  and  Christian  zeal. 


THE  JUDGMENT  SEAT. 


93 


fortune-tellers,  and  presented  ourselves  at  a porch 
with  great  figures  painted  on  both  its  doors,  and 
gay  with  the  red  insignia  of  mandarinism,  which  is 
the  entrance  to  the  stately  residence  of  the  Naam- 
Hoi  magistrate,  one  of  the  subordinate  dignitaries  of 
Canton.  In  the  porch,  as  might  have  been  in  that 
of  Pilate  or  Herod,  were  a number  of  official  palan- 
quins, and  many  officials  and  servants  of  the  man- 
darin with  red-crowned  hats  turned  up  from  their 
faces,  and  privates  of  the  city  guard,  mean  and 
shabby  persons.  One  of  these,  for  a Jcum-shci  of 
course,  took  us,  not  through  the  closed  and  cur- 
tained doors,  but  along  some  passages,  from  which 
we  passed  through  a circular  brickwork  tunnel  to  the 
front  of  the  judgment  seat  at  which  all  the  inmates 
of  the  Naam-Hoi  prison  may  expect  sooner  or  later 
to  be  tried.  My  nerves  were  rather  shaken  with 
what  I had  seen,  and  I trembled  as  a criminal  might 
on  enterinq  this  chamber  of  horror. 

In  brief,  the  judgment-seat  is  a square  hall,  open 
at  one  end,  with  a roof  supported  on  three  columns. 
In  the  plan  which  I send,  No.  i is  the  three  pillars  ; 
No.  2,  the  instruments  of  torture  ranged  aqainst  the 
wall ; No.  3,  four  accused  men  wearing  heavy  chains, 
and  kneeling  with  their  foreheads  one  inch  from 
the  ground,  but  not  allowed  to  touch  it.  These 
men  are  undergoing  the  mildest  form  of  torture — 
protracted  kneeling  without  support  in  one  posi- 
tion, with  coarse  sand  under  the  bare  knees.  No. 
4 is  a very  old  and  feeble  man,  also  kneeling,  a 


94 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


claimant  in  an  ancient  civil  suit.  No.  6 indicates  a 
motley  group  of  notaries,  servants,  attendants,  lie- 


WATER. 

SLIME. 

FILTH. 


PAVEMENT. 


JUDGE. 


ENTRANCE. 


Naam-Hoi  Judgment  Hall. 


tors,  alas!  The  table  (No.  5)  is  of  dark  wood,  cov- 
ered with  a shabby  red  cloth.  On  it  are  keys,  peti- 
tions, note-books,  pens  and  ink,  an  official  seal, 
and  some  small  cups  containing  tallies,  which  are 
thrown  down  to  indicate  the  number  of  blows  which 
a culprit  is  to  receive.  This  was  all. 

In  a high-backed  ebony  arm-chair,  such  as  might 
be  seen  in  any  English  hall,  sat  the  man  who  has 
the  awful  power  of  life  and  death  in  his  hands.  It 
is  almost  needless  to  say  that  the  judge,  who  was 
on  the  left  of  the  table,  and  who  never  once  turned 
to  the  accused,  or  indeed  to  any  one,  was  the  only 
seated  person.  He  was  a young  man,  with  fine 
features,  a good  complexion,  and  a high  intellectual 
brow,  and  had  I seen  him  under  other  circumstances, 


THE  MAGISTRATE. 


95 


I should  have  thought  him  decidedly  prepossessing 
looking.  He  wore  a black  satin  hat,  a rich,  blue 
brocade  robe,  almost  concealing  his  blue  brocade 
trousers,  and  over  this  a sleeved  cloak  of  dark  blue 
satin,  lined  with  ermine  fur.  A look  of  singular 
coldness  and  hauteur  sat  permanently  on  his  face, 
over  which  a flush  of  indescribable  impatience 
sometimes  passed.  He  is  not  of  the  people,  this 
lordly  magistrate.  He  is  one  of  the  privileged 
literati.  His  literary  degrees  are  high  and  numer- 
ous. He  has  both  place  and  power.  Little  risk  does 
he  run  of  a review  of  his  decisions  or  of  an  appeal 
to  the  Emperor  at  Pekin.  He  spoke  loud  and  with 
much  rapidity  and  emphasis,  and  often  beat  im- 
patiently on  the  floor  with  his  foot.  He  used  the 
mandarin  tongue,  and  whether  cognizant  of  the 
dialect  of  the  prisoners  or  not,  he  put  all  his  ques- 
tions through  an  interpreter,  who  stood  at  his  left, 
a handsomely  dressed  old  man,  who  wore  a gold 
chain  with  a dependent  ivory  comb,  with  which 
while  he  spoke  he  frequently  combed  a small  and 
scanty  gray  mustache. 

Notaries,  attendants  with  scarlet-crowned  hats, 
and  a rabble  of  men  and  boys,  in  front  of  whom  we 
placed  ourselves,  stood  down  each  side.  The  open 
hall,  though  lofty,  is  shabby  and  extremely  dirty, 
with  an  unswept  broken  pavement,  littered  at  one 
side  with  potsherds,  and  disfigured  by  a number  of 
more  or  less  broken  black  pots  as  well  as  other  rub- 
bish, making  it  look  rather  like  a shed  in  an  untidy 


96 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


nursery  garden  than  an  imperial  judgment-hall. 
On  the  pillars  there  are  certain  classical  inscrip- 
tions, one  of  which  is  said  to  be  an  exhortation  to 
mercy.  Pieces  of  bamboo  of  different  sizes  are 
ranged  agfainst  the  south  wall.  These  are  used  for 
the  bastinado,  and  there  were  various  instruments 
ranged  against  the  same  wall,  at  which  I could 
only  look  fitfully  and  with  a shudder,  for  they  are 
used  in  “The  Question  by  Torture,”  which  rapid 
method  of  gaining  a desired  end  appears  to  be 
practised  on  witnesses  as  well  as  criminals. 

The  yard,  or  uncovered  part  of  this  place,  has  a 
pavement  in  the  middle,  and  on  one  side  of  this 
the  most  loathsome  trench  I ever  beheld,  such  a 
one  as  I think  could  not  be  found  in  the  foulest 
slum  of  the  dirtiest  city  in  Europe,  not  only  loath- 
some to  the  eye,  but  emitting  a stench  which  even 
on  that  cool  day  might  produce  vertigo,  and  this 
under  the  very  eye  of  the  magistrate,  and  not  more 
than  thirty  feet  from  the  judgment-seat. 

On  the  other  side  by  which  we  entered,  and 
which  also  has  an  entrance  direct  from  the  prison, 
is  a slimy,  green  ditch,  at  the  back  of  which  some 
guards  were  lounging,  with  a heap  of  felons  in 
chains  attached  to  heavy  stones  at  their  feet. 
Above,  the  sky  was  very  blue,  and  the  sun  of  our 
Father  which  is  in  heaven  shone  upon  “the  just 
and  the  unjust.” 

The  civil  case  took  a long  time,  and  was  ad- 
journed, and  the  aged  claimant  was  so  exhausted 


PROCEEDINGS  IN  COURT. 


97 


with  kneeling  before  the  judge,  that  he  was  obliged 
to  be  assisted  away  by  two  men.  Then  another 
man  knelt  and  presented  a petition,  which  was 
taken  to  “ avizandum .”  Then  a guard  led  in  by  a 
chain  a prisoner,  heavily  manacled,  and  with  a 
heavy  stone  attached  to  his  neck,  who  knelt  with 
his  forehead  touching  the  ground.  After  some 
speaking,  a boy  who  was  standing  dangling  a num- 
ber of  keys  came  forward,  and,  after  much  ado,  un- 
locked the  rusty  padlock  which  fastened  the  chain 
round  the  man’s  neck,  and  he  was  led  away,  drag- 
ging the  stone  after  him  with  his  hands.  He  had 
presented  a formal  petition  for  this  favor,  and  I 
welcomed  the  granting  of  it  as  a solitary  gleam  of 
mercy,  but  I was  informed  that  the  mitigation  of 
the  sentence  came  about  through  bribery  on  the 
part  of  the  man’s  relatives,  who  had  to  buy  the 
good-will  of  four  officials  before  the  petition  could 
reach  the  magistrate’s  hands. 

More  than  an  hour  and  a half  had  passed  since 
we  entered,  and  for  two  hours  before  that  the  four 
chained  prisoners  had  been  undergoing  the  torture 
of  kneeling  on  a coarsely  sanded  stone  in  an  im- 
movable and  unsupported  position.  I was  stand- 
ing so  close  to  them  that  the  dress  of  one  touched 
my  feet.  I could  hear  their  breathing,  which  had 
been  heavy  at  first,  become  a series  of  gasps,  and 
cool  as  the  afternoon  was,  the  sweat  of  pain 
fell  from  their  brows  upon  the  dusty  floor,  and  tney 
were  so  emaciated  that,  even  through  their  cloth- 


7 


98 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


ing,  I could  see  the  outlines  of  their  bones.  There 
were  no  counsel,  and  no  witnesses,  and  the  judge 
asked  but  one  question  as  he  beat  his  foot  impa- 
tiently on  the  floor,  “Are  you  guilty?”  They  were 
accused  of  an  aggravated  robbery,  and  were  told  to 
confess,  but  they  said  that  only  two  of  them  were 
guilty.  They  were  then  sent  back  to  the  tender 
mercies  of  the  opium-smoking  jailer,  probably  to 
come  back  again  and  again  to  undergo  the  severer 
forms  of  torture,  till  no  more  money  can  be 
squeezed  out  of  their  friends,  when  they  will  proba- 
bly be  beheaded,  death  being  the  legal  penalty  for 
robbery  with  aggravations. 

There  is  no  regular  legal  process,  no  jury,  no  one 
admitted  to  plead  for  the  accused,  and  owing  to  the 
way  in  which  accusations  are  made  and  the  intimate 
association  of  trial  with  bribery,  it  is  as  certain  that 
many  innocent  persons  suffer  as  it  is  that  many 
guilty  escape.  From  such  a system  one  is  com- 
pelled to  fall  back  upon  the  righteousness  of  the 
Judge  of  all  the  earth  ; and  as  I stood  in  that  hide- 
ous judgment-hall  beside  the  tortureld  wretches,  I 
could  not  shut  out  of  my  heart  a trembling  hope 
that  for  these  and  the  legion  of  these,  a worthier 
than  an  earthly  intercessor  pleads  before  a mightier 
than  an  earthly  judge. 

It  is  not  clear  whether  torture  is  actually  recog- 
nized by  Chinese  law,  but  it  is  practised  in  almost 
every  known  form  by  all  Chinese  magistrates,  pos- 
sibly as  the  most  expeditious  mode  of  legal  pro- 


THE  QUESTION  BY  TORTURE. 


99 


cedure  which  is  known.  It  is  also  undoubtedly 
the  most  potent  agent  in  securing  bribes.  The 
legal  instruments  of  summary  punishment  which 
hang  on  the  wall  of  the  Naam-Hoi  judgment-hall 
consist  of  three  boards  with  proper  grooves  for 
squeezing  the  fingers,  and  the  bastinado,  which  is 
inflicted  with  bamboos  of  different  weights.  The 
illegal  modes  of  “ putting  the  question,”  i.e.,  of  ex- 
torting a confession  of  guilt,  as  commonly  prac- 
tised are,  prolonged  kneeling  on  coarse  sand,  with 
the  brow  within  an  inch  of  the  ground  ; twisting 
the  ears  with  “ roughened  fingers,”  and  keeping 
them  twisted  while  the  prisoner  kneels  on  chains  ; 
beating  the  lips  to  a jelly  with  a thick  stick,  the  re- 
sult of  which  was  to  be  seen  in  several  cases  in  the 
prison  ; suspending  the  body  by  the  thumbs  ; tying 
the  hands  to  a bar  under  the  knees,  so  as  to  bend 
the  body  double  during  many  hours ; the  thumb- 
screw ; dislocating  the  arm  or  shoulder  ; kneeling 
upon  pounded  glass,  salt  and  sand  mixed  together, 
till  the  knees  are  excoriated,  and  several  others,  the 
product  of  fiendish  ingenuity.  Severe  flogging 
with  the  bamboo,  rattan,  cudgel,  and  knotted  whip 
successively,  is  one  of  the  most  usual  means  of  ex- 
torting confession  ; and  when  death  results  from 
the  process,  the  magistrate  reports  that  the  crim- 
inal has  died  of  sickness,  and  in  the  few  cases  in 
which  there  may  be  reason  to  dread  investigation, 
the  administration  of  a bribe  to  the  deceased  man’s 
friends  insures  silence. 


IOO 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


The  cangue,  if  its  wearers  were  properly  fed  and 
screened  from  the  sun,  is  rather  a disgrace  than  a 
cruel  mode  of  punishment.  Death  is  said  to  be  in- 
flicted for  aggravated  robbery,  robbery  with  mur- 
der, highway  robbery,  arson,  and  piracy,  even  with- 
out the  form  of  a trial  when  the  culprits  are  caught 
in  flagrante  delicto  ; but  though  it  is  a frequent  pun- 
ishment, it  is  by  no  means  absolutely  certain  for 
what  crimes  it  is  the  legal  penalty. 

We  left  the  judgment-seat  as  a fresh  relay  bf 
criminals  entered,  two  of  them  with  faces  atrocious 
enough  for  any  crime,  and  passed  out  of  the  court- 
yard of  the  Yamun  through  the  “Gate  of  Right- 
eousness,” where  the  prisoners,  attached  to  heavy 
stones,  were  dragging  and  clanking  their  chains,  or 
lying  in  the  shade  full  of  sores,  and  though  the  red 
sunset  light  was  transfiguring  all  things,  the  glory 
had  faded  from  Canton  and  the  air  seemed  heavy 
with  a curse. 


LETTER  IV. — {Continued!) 

Although  I went  to  the  execution  ground  two 

<T> 

days  before  my  visit  to  the  prison,  the  account  of 
it  belongs  to  this  place.  Passing  through  the  fruit- 
market,  the  “Covent  Garden”  of  Canton,  where 
now  and  in  their  stated  seasons  are  exposed  for  sale, 
singly  and  in  fragrant  heaps,  among  countless  other 
varieties  of  fruits,  the  orange,  pommeloe,  apple, 
citron,  banana,  rose-apple,  pine-apple,  custard-apple, 
pear,  quince,  guava,  carambola,  persimmon,  loquat, 
pomegranate,  grape,  water-melon,  musk-melon, 
peach,  apricot,  plum,  mango,  mulberry,  date,  cocoa- 
nut,  olive,  walnut,  chestnut,  lichi,  and  papaya, 
through  the  unsavory  precincts  of  the  “salt-fish 
market,”  and  along  a street  the  specialty  of  which 
is  the  manufacture  from  palm  leaves  of  very  serv- 
iceable rain  cloaks,  we  arrived  at  the  Ma  T’au,  a 
cul de  sac  resembling  in  shape,  as  its  name  imports, 
a horse’s  head,  with  the  broad  end  opening  on  the 
street.  This  “ field  of  blood,”  which  counts  its  slain 
by  tens  of  thousands,  is  also  a “ potter’s  field,”  and 
is  occupied  throughout  its  whole  length  by  the  large 
earthen  pots  which  the  Chinese  use  instead  of  tubs, 
either  in  process  of  manufacture  or  drying  in  the 
sun.  This  Ma  T’au,  the  place  of  execution,  on 


102 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE 


which  more  than  one  hundred  heads  at  times  fall  in 
a morning,  is  simply  a pottery  yard,  and  at  the 
hours  when  space  is  required  for  the  executioner’s 
purposes  more  or  fewer  pots  are  cleared  out  of  the 
way,  according  to  the  number  of  the  condemned. 
The  spectacle  is  open  to  the  street  and  to  all  passers- 
by.  Against  the  south  wall  are  five  crosses,  which 
are  used  for  the  crucifixion  of  malefactors.  At  the 
base  of  the  east  wall  are  four  large  earthenware 
vessels  full  of  quicklime,  into  which  heads  which 
are  afterward  to  be  exposed  on  poles  are  cast,  until 
the  flesh  has  been  destroyed.  From  this  bald  sketch 
it  may  be  surmised  that  few  accessories  of  solemnity 
or  even  propriety  consecrate  the  last  tragedy  of 
justice. 

In  some  cases  criminals  are  brought  directly  from 
the  judgment-seat  to  the  execution  ground  on  re- 
ceiving sentence,  but  as  a rule  the  condemned  per- 
sons remain  in  prison  ignorant  of  the  date  of  their 
doom,  till  an  official,  carrying  a square  board  with 
the  names  of  those  who  are  to  die  that  day  pasted 
upon  it,  enters  and  reads  the  names  of  the  doomed. 
Each  man  on  answering  is  made  to  sit  in  something 
like  a dust-basket,  in  which  he  is  borne  through  the 
gate  of  the  inner  prison,  at  which  he  is  interrogated 
and  his  identity  ascertained  by  an  official,  who  rep- 
resents the  Viceroy  or  Governor,  into  the  court- 
yard of  the  Yamun,  where  he  is  pinioned.  At  this 
stage  it  is  usual  for  the  friends  of  the  criminal,  or 
the  turnkeys  in  their  absence,  to  give  him  “auspi- 


PRELIMINARIES  OF  EXECUTION. 


103 


cious”  food,  chiefly  fat  pork  and  Saam-szi,  an  in- 
toxicating wine.  Pieces  of  betel-nut,  the  stimulating 
qualities  of  which  are  well  known,  are  invariably 
given.  These  delays  being  over,  the  criminal  is 
carried  into  the  presence  of  the  judge,  who  sits  not 
in  the  judgment-hall  but  in  the  porch  of  the  inner 
gateway  of  his  Yamun.  On  the  prisoner  giving  his 
name,  a superscription  bearing  it,  and  proclaiming 
his  crime  and  the  manner  of  his  death,  is  tied  to  a 
slip  of  bamboo  and  bound  to  his  head.  A small 
wooden  ticket,  also  bearing  his  name  and  that  of 
the  prison  from  which  he  is  taken  to  execution,  is 
tied  to  the  back  of  his  neck. 

Then  the  procession  starts,  the  criminals,  of  whom 
there  are  usually  several,  being  carried  in  open  bas- 
kets in  the  following  order : — Some  spearmen,  the 
malefactors,  a few  soldiers,  a chair  of  state,  bearing 
the  ruler  of  the  Naam-Hoi  county,  attended  by 
equerries  ; and  another  chair  of  state,  in  which  is 
seated  the  official  who,  after  all  is  over,  pays  worship 
to  the  five  protecting  genii  of  Canton,  a small  tem- 
ple to  whom  stands  close  to  the  potter’s  field,  and 
who  have  power  to  restrain  those  feelings  of  re- 
venge and  violence  which  the  spirits  of  the  decapi- 
tated persons  may  be  supposed  hereafter  to  cherish 
against  all  who  were  instrumental  in  their  decapita- 
tion. Last  of  all  follows  a herald  on  horseback, 
carrying  a yellow  banner  inscribed  “ By  Imperial 
Decree,”  an  indispensable  adjunct  on  such  occa- 
sions, as  without  it  the  county  ruler  would  not  be 


104 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


justified  in  commanding  the  executioner  to  give  the 
death  stroke.  This  ruler  or  his  deputy  sits  at  a 
table  covered  with  a red  cloth,  and  on  being  told 
that  all  the  preliminaries  have  been  complied  with, 
gives  the  word  for  execution.  The  criminals,  who 
have  been  unceremoniously  pitched  out  of  the  dust 
baskets  into  the  mud  or  gore  or  dust  of  the  execu- 
tion ground,  kneel  down  in  a row  or  rows,  and  the 
executioner  with  a scimitar  strikes  off  head  after 
head,  each  with  a single  stroke,  an  assistant  attend- 
ing to  hand  him  a fresh  sword  as  soon  as  the  first 
becomes  blunt.  It  is  said  that  Chinese  criminals 
usually  meet  their  doom  with  extreme  apathy,  but 
occasionally  they  yield  to  extreme  terror,  and  howl 
at  the  top  of  their  voices,  “Save  life  ! Save  life  !” 
As  soon  as  the  heads  have  fallen,  some  coolies  of  a 
pariah  class  take  up  the  trunks  and  put  them  into 
wooden  shells,  in  which  they  are  eventually  buried 
in  a cemetery  outside  one  of  the  city  gates,  called 
“ The  trench  for  the  bones  of  ten  thousand  men.” 
It  is  not  an  uncommon  thing,  under  ordinary  cir- 
cumstances, for  fifteen,  twenty,  or  thirty-five  wretches 
to  suffer  the  penalty  of  death  in  this  spot;  and  this 
number  swells  to  very  large  dimensions  at  a jail 
delivery,  or  during  a rebellion,  or  when  the  crews 
of  pirates  are  captured  in  the  act  of  piracy.  My 
friend  Mr.  Bulkeley  Johnson,  of  Shanghai,  saw  one 

hundred  heads  fall  in  one  morninm 

<_> 

Mr.  Henry  says  that  the  reason  that  most  of  the 
criminals  meet  death  with  such  stoicism  or  indiffer- 


THE  “ FIELD  OF  BLOOD.”  105 

ence  is,  that  they  have  been  worn  down  previously 
by  starvation  and  torture.  Some  are  stupefied 
with  Saam-su.  It  is  possible  in  some  cases  for  a 
criminal  who  is  fortunate  enough  to  have  rich  rela- 
tions to  procure  a substitute  ; a coolie  sells  him- 
self to  death  in  such  a man’s  stead  for  a hundred 
dollars,  and  for  a week  before  his  surrender  in- 
dulges in  every  kind  of  expensive  debauchery,  and 
when  the  day  of  doom  arrives  is  so  completely 
stupefied  by  wine  and  opium,  as  to  know  nothing 
of  the  terror  of  death. 

We  had  not  gone  far  into  this  aceldema  when 
we  came  to  a space  cleared  from  pots,  and  to  a great 
pool  of  blood  and  dust  mingled,  blackening  in  the 
sun,  then  another  and  another,  till  there  were  five 
of  them  almost  close  together,  with  splashes  of 
blood  upon  the  adjacent  pots,  and  blood  trodden 
into  the  thirsty  ground.  Against  the  wall  opposite, 
a rudely  constructed  cross  was  resting,  dark  here 
and  there  with  patches  of  blood.  Among  the  rub- 
bish at  the  base  of  the  wall  there  were  some  human 
fragments  partly  covered  with  matting  ; a little 
farther  some  jaw-bones  with  the  teeth  in  them, 
then  four  more  crosses,  and  some  human  heads 
lying  at  the  foot  of  the  wall,  from  which  it  was 
evident  that  dogs  had  partially  gnawed  off  the 
matting  in  which  they  had  been  tied  up.  The  dead 
stare  of  one  human  eye  amidst  the  heap  haunts  me 
still.  A blood-splashed  wooden  ticket,  with  a human 
name  on  one  side  and  that  of  the  Naam-Hoi  prison 


io6 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


on  the  other,  was  lying  near  one  of  the  pools  of 
blood,  and  I picked  it  up  as  a memento,  as  the 
stroke  which  had  severed  its  string-  had  also  severed 
at  the  same  time  the  culprit’s  neck.  The  place  was 
ghastly  and  smelt  of  blood. 

The  strangest  and  most  thrilling  sight  of  all  was 
the  cross  in  this  unholy  spot,  not  a symbol  of  vic- 
tory and  hope,  but  of  the  lowest  infamy  and  degra- 
dation, of  the  vilest  death  which  the  vilest  men  can 
die.  Nor  was  it  the  solid,  lofty  structure,  fifteen 
or  twenty  feet  high,  which  art  has  been  glorifying 
for  a thousand  years,  but  a rude  gibbet  of  unplaned 
wood,  roughly  nailed  together,  barely  eight  feet 
high,  and  not  too  heavy  for  a strong  man  to  carry 
on  his  shoulders.  Most  likely  it  was  such  a cross, 
elevated  but  little  above  the  heads  of  the  howling 
mob  of  Jerusalem,  which  Paul  had  in  view  when  he 
wrote  of  Him  who  hung  upon  it,  “But  made  Him- 
self obedient  unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross." 
To  these  gibbets  infamous  criminals,  whose  crimes 
are  regarded  as  deserving  of  a lingering  death,  are 
tightly  bound  with  cords,  and  are  then  slowly 
hacked  to  pieces  with  sharp  knives,  unless  the 
friends  of  the  culprit  are  rich  enough  to  bribe  the 
executioner  to  terminate  the  death  agony  early  by 
stabbing  a vital  part. 

These  facts  do  not  require  to  be  dressed  out  with 
words.  They  are  most  effective  when  most  baldly 
stated.  I left  the  execution  ground  as  I left  the 
prison — with  the  prayer,  which  has  gained  a new 


A FAIR  COMPARISON. 


107 


significance,  “ For  all  prisoners  and  captives  we 
beseech  Thee  to  hear  us,  good  Lord  but  though 
our  hands  are  nationally  clean  now  as  regards  the 
administration  of  justice  and  the  treatment  of 
criminals,  we  need  not  hold  them  up  in  holy  horror 
as  if  the  Chinese  were  guilty  above  all  other  men, 
for  the  framers  of  the  Litany  were  familiar  with 
dungeons  perhaps  worse  than  the  prison  of  the 
Naam-Hoi  magistrate,  and  with  forms  of  torture 
which  spared  not  even  women,  and  the  judges’  and 
jailers’  palms  were  intimate  with  the  gold  of  ac- 
cused persons.  It  is  simply  that  heathenism  in 
Canton  is  practising  at  this  day  what  Christianity 
in  Europe  looked  upon  with  indifference  for  cent- 
uries. I.  L.  B. 


LETTER  V. 


Hong  Kong,  January  io. 

The  year  seems  already  getting  old  and  frowzy. 
Under  these  blue  skies,  and  with  all  the  doors  and 
windows  open,  I should  think  it  midsummer  if  I 
did  not  look  at  the  calendar.  Oh,  how  I like  blue, 
sunny  skies,  instead  of  gray  and  grim  ones,  and 
blazing  colors  instead  of  the  dismal  grays  and 
browns  of  our  nondescript  winters  ! 

I left  Canton  by  the  Kin-Kiang  on  Monday,  with 
two  thousand  Chinese  passengers  and  two  Portu- 
guese missionary  priests,  the  latter  wearing  Chinese 
costume,  and  so  completely  got  up  as  Chinamen  that 
had  they  not  spoken  Portuguese  their  features  would 
not  have  been  sufficient  to  undeceive  me.  They  were 
noble-looking  men,  and  bore  upon  their  faces  the 
stamp  of  consecration  to  a noble  work.  On  the  other 
steamer,  the  Tchang,  instead  of  a man  with  revolv- 
ers and  a cutlass  keeping  guard  over  the  steerage 
grating,  a large  hose  pipe  is  laid  on  to  each  hatch- 
way, through  which,  in  case  of  need,  boiling  water 
can  be  sent  under  strong  pressure.  Just  as  we 
landed  here,  about  five  hundred  large  fishes  were 
passed  through  a circular  net  from  a well  in  the 
steamer  into  a well  in  a fishing  boat,  to  which  all 

108 


A CHINESE  HOSPITAL. 


109 


the  fishmongers  in  Hong  Kong  immediately  re- 
sorted. 

(I  pass  over  the  hospitalities  and  festivities  of 
Hong  Kong,  and  an  afternoon  with  the  Governor 
in  the  Victoria  Prison,  to  an  interesting  visit  paid 
with  Mr.,  now  Sir  J.  Pope  Hennessey  to  the 
Chinese  Hospital.) 

We  started  from  Government  House,  with  the 
Governor,  in  a chair  with  six  scarlet  bearers,  at- 
tended by  some  Sikh  orderlies  in  scarlet  turbans, 
for  a “State  Visit”  to  the  Tung-Wah  Hospital,  a 
purely  Chinese  institution,  built  some  years  ago  by 
Chinese  merchants,  and  supported  by  them  at  an 
annual  cost  of  $16,000.  In  it  nothing  European, 
either  in  the  way  of  drugs  or  treatment,  is  tried. 
There  is  a dispensary  connected  with  it,  where  ad- 
vice is  daily  given  to  about  a hundred  and  twenty 
people ; and,  though  lunacy  is  rare  in  China,  they 
are  building  a lunatic  asylum  at  the  back  of  the 
hospital. 

The  Tung-Wah  hospital  consists  of  several  two- 
storied  buildings  of  granite,  with  large  windows  on 
each  side,  and  a lofty  central  building  which  con- 
tains the  directors’  hall,  the  accommodation  for  six 
resident  physicians,  and  the  business  offices.  The 
whole  is  surrounded  by  a well-kept  garden,  bounded 
by  a very  high  wall.  We  entered  by  the  grand  en- 
trance, which  has  a flagged  pavement,  each  flag 
consisting  of  a slab  of  granite  twelve  feet  long  by 
three  broad,  and  were  received  at  the  foot  of  the 


I IO 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


grand  staircase  by  the  directors  and  their  chairman, 
the  six  resident  doctors,  and  Mr.  Ng  Choy,  a rising 
Chinese  barrister,  educated  at  Lincoln’s  Inn,  who 
interpreted  for  us  in  admirable  English.  He  is  the 
man  who  goes  between  the  Governor  and  the  Chi- 
nese  community,  and  is  believed  to  have  more  in- 
fluence with  the  Governor  on  all  questions  which 
concern  Chinamen  than  anybody  else.  These  gen- 
tlemen all  wore  rich  and  beautiful  dresses  of  thick 
ribbed  silk  and  figured  brocade,  and,  unless  they 
were  much  padded  and  wadded,  they  had  all  at- 
tained to  a remarkable  embonpoint. 

The  hall  in  which  the  directors  meet  is  lofty  and 
very  handsome,  the  roof  being  supported  on  mas- 
sive pillars.  One  side  is  open  to  the  garden.  It 
has  a superb  ebony  table  in  the  middle,  with  a chair 
massive  enough  for  a throne  for  the  chairman,  and 
six  grand,  carved  ebony  chairs  on  either  side. 

Our  procession  consisted  of  the  chairman  and 
the  twelve  directors,  the  six  stout  middle-aged  doc- 
tors, Mr.  Ng  Choy,  the  Governor,  the  Bishop  of 
Victoria,  and  myself  ; but  the  patients  regarded  the 
unwonted  spectacle  with  extreme  apathy. 

The  wards  hold  twenty  each,  and  are  divided  into 
wooden  stalls,  each  stall  containing  two  beds.  Par- 
titions seven  feet  high  run  down  the  centre.  The 
beds  are  matted  wooden  platforms,  and  the  bedding 
white  fiitons  or  wadded  quilts,  which  are  washed 
once  a week.  The  pillows  are  of  wood  or  bamboo. 
Each  bed  has  a shelf  above  it,  with  a teapot  upon 


SURGER  Y AND  MEDICINE. 


I I I 


it  in  a thickly  wadded  basket,  which  keeps  the  con- 
tents hot  all  day,  the  infusion  being,  of  course, 
poured  off  the  leaves.  A ticket,  with  the  patient’s 
name  upon  it,  and  the  hours  at  which  he  is  to  take 
his  medicine,  hangs  above  each  person. 

No  amputations  are  performed,  but  there  are  a 
good  many  other  operations,  such  as  the  removal 
of  cancers,  tumors,  etc.  The  doctors  were  quite 
willing  to  answer  questions,  within  certain  limits  ; 
but  when  I asked  them  about  the  composition  and 
properties  of  their  drugs  they  became  reticent  at 
once,  and  said  that  they  were  secrets.  1 hey  do 
not  use  chloroform  in  operations,  but  they  all  as- 
serted, and  their  assertions  were  corroborated  by 
Mr.  Ng  Choy,  that  they  possess  drugs  which  throw 
their  patie'nts  into  a profound  sleep,  during  which 
the  most  severe  operations  can  be  painlessly  per- 
formed. They  asserted  further  that  such  patients 
awake  an  hour  or  two  afterward  quite  cheerful, 
and  with  neither  headache  nor  vomiting  ! One  of 
them  showed  me  a bottle  containing  a dark  brown 
powder  which,  he  said,  produced  this  result,  but  he 
would  not  divulge  the  name  of  one  of  its  constitu- 
ents, saying  that  it  is  a secret  taught  him  by  his 
tutor,  and  that  there  are  several  formulas.  It  has 
a pungent  and  slightly  aromatic  taste. 

The  surgery  and  medicine  are  totally  uninfluenced 
by  European  science,  and  are  of  the  most  antiquated 
and  barbaric  description.  There  was  a woman  who 
had  had  a cancer  removed,  and  the  awful  wound, 


I I 2 


THE  GOLDEN  CLIERSONESE. 


which  was  uncovered  for  my  inspection,  was  dressed 
with  musk,  lard,  and  ambergris,  with  a piece  of 
oiled  paper  over  all.  There  was  also  exhibited  to 
us  a foot  which  had  been  pierced  by  a bamboo 
splinter.  Violent  inflammation  had  extended  up  to 
the  knee,  and  the  wound,  and  the  swollen,  blackened 
limb  were  being  treated  with  musk  and  timer’s  fat. 
A man  with  gangrened  feet,  nearly  dropping  off, 
had  them  rolled  up  in  dark-colored  paste,  of  which 
musk  and  oil  were  two  ingredients.  All  the  wounds 
were  deplorably  dirty,  and  no  process  of  cleaning 
them  exists  in  this  system  of  surgery. 

The  Governor  and  Bishop  were  not  allowed  to 
go  into  the  women’s  ward.  It  looked  very  clean 
and  comfortable,  but  a woman  in  the  last  death- 
agony  was  unattended.  They  never  bleed,  or  leech, 
or  blister,  or  apply  any  counter-irritants  in  cases  of 
inflammation.  They  give  powdered  rhinoceros’ 
horns,  sun-dried  tiger’s  blood,  powdered  tiger’s  liver, 
spiders’  eyes,  and  many  other  queer  things,  and  for 
a tonic  and  febrifuge,  where  we  should  use  quinine, 
they  rely  mainly  on  the  ginseng  ( Panax  quinque- 
folia?')  of  which  I saw  so  much  in  Japan.  They 
judge  much  by  the  pulse  and  tongue.  The  mor 
tality  in  this  hospital  is  very  large,  not  only  from 
the  nature  of  the  treatment,  but  because  Chinamen 
who  have  no  friends  in  Victoria  go  there  when  they 
are  dying,  in  order  to  secure  that  their  bodies  shall 
be  sent  to  their  relations  at  a distance.  There  were 
fifteen  sick  and  shipwrecked  junkmen  there,  covered 


DRUGS  AND  VENTILATION.  I I 3 

with  sores,  who  looked  very  far  down  in  the  scale 
of  humanity. 

After  going  through  the  wards  I went  into  the 
laboratory,  where  six  men  were  engaged  in  prepar- 
ing drues,  then  to  the  “ chemical  kitchen,”  where  a 
hundred  and  fifty  earthen  pipkins  on  a hundred  and 
fifty  earthen  furnaces  were  being  used  in  cooking 
medicines  under  the  superintendence  of  eight  cooks 
in  spotless  white  clothing  ; then  to  the  kitchen, 
which  is  large  and  clean  ; then  alone  into  the  dead- 
house,  which  no  Chinese  will  enter  except  an  unclean 
class  of  pariahs,  who  perform  the  last  offices  for  the 
departed  and  dress  the  corpses  for  burial.  This 
gloomy  receptacle  is  also  clean. 

Great  attention  is  paid  to  cleanliness  and  ventila- 
tion. Dry  earth  is  used  as  a deodorizer,  but  if 
there  be  a bad  odor  they  burn  sandal-wood.  They 
don’t  adopt  any  disinfectants  ; indeed,  they  don't 
appear  to  know  their  use.  The  patients  all  lie  with 
their  backs  to  the  light,  and  there  is  a space  five 
feet  wide  between  the  beds  and  the  windows.  All 
the  windows  were  open  both  at  the  top  and  bottom, 
ko  as  to  create  a complete  current  of  air,  and  the 
airiness  and  freedom  from  smells  and  closeness 
were  quite  remarkable,  considering  the  state  in 
which  the  wounds  are,  which  is  worse  than  I dare 
attempt  to  describe.  The  hospital  is  conducted  on 
strictly  “ temperance  principles,”  i.e.,  no  alcholic 
stimulants  are  given,  which  is  not  remarkable,  con- 
sidering how  little  comparatively  they  are  used  in 
8 


ii4 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


China,  and  with  what  moderation  on  the  whole  by 
those  who  use  them.  There  were  seventy-five  pa- 
tients in  the  wards  yesterday,  and  the  cases  were 
mostly  either  serious  originally,  or  have  been  made 
so  by  the  treatment.  There  are  one  hundred  and 
twenty  beds.  There  is  much  to  admire  in  this  hos- 
pital,—the  humane  arrangements,  the  obvious  com- 
fort of  the  patients,  and  the  admirable  ventilation 
and  perfect  cleanliness  of  the  beds  and  wards,  but 
the  system  adopted  is  one  of  the  most  antiquated 
quackery,  and  when  I think  of  the  unspeakably 
horrible  state  of  the  wounds,  the  mortifying  limbs, 
and  the  gangrened  feet  ready  to  drop  off,  I almost 
question  Governor  Hennessey’s  wisdom  in  stamp- 
ing the  hospital  with  his  approval  on  his  “ State 
Visit.” 

The  Governor  and  I were  received  in  the  board- 
room  after  our  two  hours’  inspection,  where  we 
were  joined  by  Mrs.  Hennessey,  and  entertained 
by  the  directors  at  what  might  be  called  “ afternoon 
tea.”  But  when  is  the  Chinaman  not  drinking  tea  ? 
A monstrous  plateau  of  the  preserved  and  candied 
fruits,  in  the  making  of  which  the  Chinese  ladies 
excel,  had  been  placed  upon  the  ebony  table,  and 
when  we  were  seated  in  the  stately  ebony  chairs  on 
the  chairman’s  right,  with  the  yellow,  shining-faced, 
wadded  or  corpulent  directors  opposite  to  us,  ex- 
cellent tea  with  an  unusual  flavor  was  brought  in, 
and  served  in  cups  of  antique  green  dragon  china. 
The  Governor  made  kindly  remarks  on  the  hos- 


A CHINESE  “ AFTERNOON  TEA.”  I I 5 

pital,  which  fluent  Mr.  Ng  Choy  doubtless  rendered 
into  the  most  fulsome  flattery  ; the  chairman  com- 
plimented the  Governor,  and  unlimited  “ soft  saw- 
der,” in  Oriental  fashion,  passed  all  round. 

It  is  proper  in  China  on  such  an  occasion  to  raise 
the  tea-cup  with  both  the  hands  to  a good  height 
and  bow  to  each  person,  naming  at  the  same  time 
the  character  so  continually  seen  on  tea-cups  and 
sake  bottles, — Happiness, — which  is  understood  to 
be  a wish  for  happiness  in  this  formula,  “ May  your 
happiness  be  as  the  Eastern  Sea but  the  wish 
may  also  mean  “May  you  have  many  sons.”  It  it 
strange  that  these  Chinamen,  who  showed  all  fitting 
courtesy  to  Mrs.  Hennessey  and  me,  would  only 
have  spoken  of  their  wives  apologetically  as  “the 
mean  ones  within  the  gates  !”  It  was  a charming1 
Oriental  sight,  the  grand,  open-fronted  room  with 
its  stone  floor  and  many  pillars,  the  superbly  dressed 
directors  and  their  blue-robed  attendants,  and  the 
immense  costumed  crowd  outside  the  gate  in  the 
sunshine,  kept  back  by  crimson-turbaned  Sikh 
orderlies. 

If  civilization  were  to  my  taste,  I should  linger 
in  Victoria  for  the  sake  of  its  beauty,  its  stirring 
life,  its  costume  and  color,  its  perfect  winter  climate, 
its  hospitalities,  its  many  charming  residents,  and 
for  various  other  reasons,  and  know  nothing  of  its 
feuds  in  state,  church,  and  society.  But  I am  a 
savage  at  heart,  and  weary  for  the  wilds  first,  and 
then  for  the  beloved  little  home  on  the  wooded 


I 1 6 THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

edge  of  the  moorland  above  the  Northern  Sea, 
which  gleams  like  a guiding  star,  even  through  the 
maze  of  sunshine  and  color  of  this  fascinating 
Eastern  world.  To-day  I lunched  at  (acting)  Chief 
Justice  Snowden’s,  and  he  urges  me  to  go  to 
Malacca  on  my  way  home.  I had  never  dreamed 
of  the  “ Golden  Chersonese  ; ” but  I am  much  in- 
spired by  his  descriptions  of  the  neighborhood  of 
the  Equator,  and  as  he  has  lent  me  Newbold’s 
Malacca  for  the  voyage,  and  has  given  me  letters 
to  the  Governor  and  Colonial  Secretary  of  the 
Straits  Settlements,  you  will  next  hear  from  me 
from  Singapore  ! I.  L.  B. 


LETTER  VI. 


S.  S.  “Sindh,” 
China  Sea,  January. 

This  steamer,  one  of  the  finest  of  the  Messageries 
Maritimes  line,  is  perfect  in  all  respects,  and  has  a 
deck  like  that  of  an  old-fashioned  frigate.  The 
weather  has  been  perfect  also,  and  the  sea  smooth 
enough  for  a skiff.  The  heat  increases  hourly 
though,  or  rather  has  increased  hourly,  for  hotter 
it  cannot  be  ! Punkahs  are  going  continually  at 
meal  times,  and  if  one  sits  down  to  write  in  the  sa- 
loon, the  “ punkah-wallah”  spies  one  out  and  begins 
his  refreshing  labors  at  once.  But  we  took  onboard 
a host  of  mosquitoe's  at  Saigon,  and  the  nights  are 
consequently  so  intolerable  that  I weary  for  the 
day. 

The  twenty-four  hours  spent  at  Saigon  broke  the 
monotonous  pleasantness  of  our  voyage  very  agreea- 
bly to  me,  but  most  of  the  passengers  complain  of 
the  wearisome  detention  in  the  heat.  In  truth,  the 
mercury  stood  at  92°  ! 

At  daybreak  yesterday  we  were  steaming  up  a 
branch  of  the  great  Me-kong-  river  in  Cochin  China, 
a muddy  stream,  densely  fringed  by  the  nipah  palm, 
whose  dark  green  fronds,  ten  and  twelve  feet  long, 


1 1 8 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


look  as  if  they  grew  out  of  the  ground,  so  dumpy 
is  its  stem.  The  country,  as  overlooked  from  our 
lofty  deck,  appeared  a dead  level  of  rice  and  scrubby 
jungle  intermixed,  a vast  alluvial  plain,  from  which 
the  heavy,  fever-breeding  mists  were  rising  in  rosy 
folds.  Every  now  and  then  we  passed  a Cochin 
Chinese  village — a collection  of  very  draughty- 
looking  wooden  huts,  roofed  with  palm  leaves,  built 
over  the  river  on  gridiron  platforms  supported  on 
piles.  Each  dwelling  of  the  cluster  had  its  boat 
tethered  below  it,  It  looked  a queer  amphibious 
life.  Men  were  lying  on  the  gridirons  smoking, 
women  were  preparing  what  might  be  the  break- 
fast, and  babies  were  crawling  over  the  open  floors, 
born  with  the  instinct  not  to  tumble  over  the  edge 
into  the  river  below.  These  natives  were  small  and 
dark,  although  of  the  Mongolian  type,  with  wide 
mouths  and  high  cheek  bones-j— an  ugly  race  ; and 
their  attitudes,  their  tumble-to-pieces  houses,  and 
their  general  forlornness,  gave  me  the  impression 
that  they  are  an  indolent  race  as  well,  to  be  ousted 
in  time  possibly  by  the  vigorous  and  industrious 
Chinaman. 

After  proceeding  for  about  forty  miles  up  this 
mighty  Me-kong  or  Cambodia  river,  wearying  some- 
what of  its  nipah- fringed  alluvial  flats,  and  of  the 
monotonous  domestic  economy  of  which  we  had  so 
good  a view,  we  reached  Saigon,  which  has  the  wild 
ambition  to  propose  to  itself  to  be  a second  Singa- 
pore ! All  my  attempts  to  learn  anything  about 


THE  ME-KONG  RIVER. 


II9 

Saigon  on  board  have  utterly  failed.  People  think 
that  they  told  me  something  altogether  new  and 
sufficient  when  they  said  that  it  is  a port  of  call  for 
the  French  mail  steamers,  and  one  of  the  hottest 
places  in  the  world  ! This  much  I knew  before  I 
asked  them  ! If  they  know  anything  more  now,  no 
dexterity  of  mine  can  elicit  it.  There  was  a general 
stampede  ashore  as  soon  as  we  moored,  and  ghar- 
ries— covered  spring  carts — drawn  by  active  little 
Sumatra  ponies,  and  driven  by  natives  of  Southern 
India,  known  as  Klings,  were  immediately  requisi- 
tioned, but  nothing  came  of  it  apparently,  and  when 
I came  back  at  sunset  I found  that,  after  an  hour 
or  two  of  apparently  purposeless  wanderings,  all  my 
fellow-passengers  had  returned  to  the  ship,  pale  and 
depressed.  True,  the  mercury  was  above  90  ! 

Arriving  in  this  condition  of  most  unblissful 
ignorance,  I was  astonished  when  a turn  in  the 
river  brought  us  close  upon  a considerable  town, 
straggling  over  a great  extent  of  ground,  inter- 
spersed with  abundant  tropical  greenery,  its  river 
front  consisting  of  a long,  low  line  of  much-shaded 
cafes,  mercantile  offices,  some  of  them  flying  con- 
sular flags  and  Government  offices,  behind  which 
lies  the  city  with  its  streets,  shops,  and  great 
covered  markets  or  bazaars,  and  its  barracks, 
churches,  and  convents. 

The  Me-kongr  thouq-h  tortuous  and  ofttimes 
narrow,  is  navigable  as  the  Donnai  or  Saigon 
branch  up  to  and  above  Saigon  for  vessels  of  the 


120 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


largest  tonnage,  and  the  great  Sindh  steamed  up 
to  a wharf  and  moored  alongside  it,  almost  under 
the  shade  of  great  trees.  A French  three-decker 
of  the  old  type,  moored  higher  up,  serves  as  an 
hospital.  There  were  two  French  ironclads,  a few 
steamers,  and  some  big  sailing  ships  at  anchor,  but 
nothing  looked  busy,  and  the  people  on  the  wharf 
were  all  loafers. 

After  all  my  fellow-passengers  had  driven  off  I • 
stepped  ashore  and  tried  to  realize  that  I was  in 
Cochin  China  or  Cambodia,  but  it  would  not  do. 
The  irrepressible  Chinaman  in  his  loose  cotton 
trousers  was  as  much  at  home  as  in  Canton,  and  was 
doing  all  the  work  that  was  done ; the  shady 
iounges  in  front  of  the  cafes  were  full  of  French- 
men, Spaniards,  and  Germans,  smoking  and  dozing 
with  their  feet  upon  tables  or  on  aught  else  which 
raised  them  to  the  level  of  their  heads  ; while  men 
in  linen  suits  and  pith  helmets  dashed  about  in 
buggies  and  gharries,  and  French  officers  and 
soldiers  lounged  weariedly  along  all  the  roads.  There 
was  not  a native  to  be  seen  ! A little  later  there 
was  not  a European  to  be  seen  ! There  was  a 
universal  siesta  behind  closed  jalousies,  and  Saigon 
was  abandoned  to  Chinamen  and  leggy  dogs.  Then 
came  the  cool  of  the  afternoon,  i.e.,  the  mercury, 
with  evident  reluctance,  dawdled  down  to  84° ; 
military  bands  performed,  the  Europeans  emerged, 
smoking  as  in  the  morning,  to  play  billiards  or 
ecarte,  or  sip  absinthe  at  their  cafes  ; then  came 


A FRENCH  COLONIAL  METROPOLIS. 


12  I 


the  mosquitoes  and  dinner,  after  which  I was  told 
that  card-parties  were  made  up,  and  that  the  resi- 
dents played  till  near  midnight.  Thus  from  obser- 
vation and  hearsay,  I gathered  that  the  life  of  a 
European  Saigonese  was  made  up  of  business  in 
bajn  and  pyjamas  with  cheroot  in  mouth  from  6 to 
9:30  a.m.,  then  the  bath,  the  toilette,  and  the 
breakfast  of  claret  and  curry ; next  the  sleeping, 
smoking,  and  lounging  till  tiffin  ; after  tiffin  a little 
more  work,  then  the  band,  billiards,  ecarte,  absinthe, 
smoking,  dinner,  and  card-parties,  varied  by  official 
entertainments. 

Rejecting  a guide,  I walked  about  Saigon,  saw 
its  streets,  cafes,  fruit  markets,  bazaars,  barracks,  a 
botanic  or  acclimatization  garden,  of  which  tigers 
were  the  chief  feature,  got  out  upon  the  wide,  level 
roads,  bordered  with  large  trees,  which  run  out 
into  the  country  for  miles  in  perfectly  straight 
lines,  saw  the  handsome  bungalows  of  the  residents, 
who  surround  themselves  with  many  of  the  luxuries 
of  Paris,  went  over  a beautiful  convent,  where  the 
sisters  who  educate  native  girl  children  received  me 
with  kindly  courtesy  ; and  eventually  driving  in  a 
gharrie  far  beyond  the  town,  and  then  dismissing 
it,  I got  into  a labyrinth  of  lanes,  each  with  a high 
hedqe  of  cactus,  and  without  knowing:  it  found  that 
I was  in  a native  village,  Choquan,  a village  in  which 
every  house  seems  to  be  surrounded  and  hidden 
by  high  walls  of  a most  malevolent  and  obnoxious 
cactus,  so  as  to  insure  absolute  privacy  to  its  pro- 


122 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


prietor.  Each  dwelling  is  under  the  shade  of  pom- 
meloe,  orange,  and  bamboo.  By  dint  of  much 
peeping,  and  many  pricks  which  have  since  in- 
flamed, I saw  that  the  poorer  houses  were  built  of 
unplaned  planks  or  split  bamboo,  thatched  with 
palm  leaves,  with  deep  verandas,  furnished  with 
broad  matted  benches  with  curious,  round  bamboo 
pillows.  On  these  men,  scarcely  to  be  called 
clothed,  were  lying,  smoking  or  chewing  the  betel- 
nut,  and  all  had  teapots  in  covered  baskets  within 
convenient  reach.  The  better  houses  are  built  of 
an  ornamental  framework  of  carved  wood,  the  floor 
of  which  is  raised  about  three  feet  from  the  ground 
on  brick  pillars.  The  roofs  of  these  are  rather 
steep,  and  are  mostly  tiled,  and  have  deep  eaves,  but 
do  not  as  elsewhere  form  the  cover  of  the  veranda. 
While  I was  looking  through  the  cactus  screen  of  one 
of  these  houses,  a man  came  out  with  a number  of 
low  caste,  leggy,  flop-eared,  mangy  dogs,  who  at- 
tacked me  in  a cowardly  bullying  fashion,  yelping, 
barking,  and  making  surreptitious  snaps  at  my 
feet.  Their  owner  called  them  off,  however,  and 
pelted  them  so  successfully  that  some  ran  away 
whimpering,  and  two  pretended  (as  dogs  will)  to 
have  broken  legs.  This  man  carried  a cocoa-nut, 
and  on  my  indicating  that  I was  thirsty,  he  hesi- 
tated, and  then  turning  back,  signed  to  me  to  fol- 
low him  into  his  house.  This  was  rare  luck  ! 

Within  the  cactus  screen,  which  is  fully  ten  feet 
high,  there  is  a graveled  area,  on  which  the  neat- 


A COCHIN-CHINE SE  VILLAGE. 


123 


looking  house  stands,  and  growing  out  of  the  very 
thirsty  ground  are  cocoa  palms,  bananas,  bread  fruit, 
and  papayas.  There  are  verandas  on  each  side  of 
the  doorway  with  stone  benches ; the  doorway  and 
window  frames  are  hung  with  “ portieres  ” of  split 
reeds,  and  a ladder  does  duty  for  door  steps,  The 
interior  is  very  dark,  and  divided  into  several  apart- 
ments. As  soon  as  I entered  there  was  a rush  as 
. if  of  bats  into  the  darkness,  but  on  being  re  assured, 
about  twenty  women  and  boy  and  girl  children  ap- 
peared, and  contemplated  me  with  an  apathetic 
stare  of  extreme  solemnity.  Remember  the  mer- 
cury was  92°,  so  the  women  may  be  excused  for 
having  nothing  more  than  petticoats  or  loose  trous- 
ers on  in  the  privacy  of  their  home,  the  children 
for  being  in  a state  of  nudity,  and  the  man  for  being 
clothed  in  a loin  cloth  ! As  I grew  used  to  the 
darkness  I saw  a toothless  old  woman  smoking  in  a 
corner,  fanned  by  two  girls,  who,  I believe,  are 
domestic  slaves.  Near  one  of  the  window  openings 
a young  woman  was  lounging,  and  two  others  were 
attentively  removing  vermin  from  her  luxuriant 
but  ill-kept  hair.  Mats  and  bamboo  pillows  cov- 
ered the  floors,  and  most  of  the  inmates  had  been 
rudely  disturbed  in  a siesta. 

I was  evidently  in  the  principal  apartment,  for 
the  walls  were  decorated  with  Chinese  marine  pict- 
ures, among  which  were  two  glaring  daubs  of  a 
Madonna  and  an  Ecce  Homo.  There  was  also  a 
rude  crucifix,  from  which  I gather  that  this  is  a 


124  THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

Roman  Catholic  family.  There  were  two  teapots 
of  tea  on  a chair,  a big  tub  of  pommeloes  on  the 
floor,  and  a glazed  red  earthenware  bowl  full  of  ripe 
bananas  on  another  chair.  A sort  of  sickle,  a gun, 
and  some  bullock  gear  hung  against  the  wall.  In 
the  middle  of  the  room  there  was  a sort  of  trap  in 
the  floor,  and  there  was  the  same  in  two  other  apart- 
ments. Through  this  all  rubbish  is  conveniently 
dropped.  ' A woman  brought  in  a cocoa-nut,  and  » 
poured  the  milk  into  a gourd  calabash,  and  the  man 
handed  me  the  dish  of  bananas,  so  I had  an  epi- 
curean repast,  and  realized  that  I was  in  Cochin 
China!  They  were  courteous  people,  and  not  only 
refused  the  quarter  dollar  which  I pressed  upon 
them,  but  gave  me  a handkerchief  full  of  bananas 
when  I left  them,  being  pleased,  however,  to  accept 
a puggree. 

The  neat  gravel  area,'  the  covered  walls,  and 
neatly  tiled  roof,  the  lattice  work,  the  boards  sus- 
pended from  the  door-posts,  with  (as  I have  since 
learned),  texts  from  the  Chinese  Classics  in  gold 
upon  them,  and  the  large  establishment,  show  that 
the  family  belongs  to  the  upper  class  of  Anamites, 
and  leave  one  quite  unprepared  for  the  reeking, 
festering  heap  of  garbage  below  the  house,  the  foul, 
fetid  air,  and  swarming  vermin  of  the  interior,  and 
the  unwashedness  of  the  inmates.  I bowed  myself 
out,  the  gate  was  barred  behind  me,  and  in  two 
minutes  I had  lost  what  I supposed  to  be  my  way, 
and  having  left  the  maze  of  cactus-walled  paths  be- 


ANAMESE  CHILDREN. 


125 

hind,  was  entangled  in  a maze  of  narrow  village  paths 
through  palms  and  bananas,  flowering  trees  covered 
with  creepers  and  orchids,  and  a wonderful  profusion 
of  small  and  great  ferns.  Getting  back  into  the  cac- 
tus hidden  village  I found  groups  of  pretty,  dark- 
skinned  children,  quite  naked,  playing  in  the  deep 
dust,  while  some  no  bigger  were  lounging  in  the  shade 
smoking  cigars,  lazily  watching  the  clouds  of  smoke 
which  they  puffed  out  from  their  chubby  cheeks. 

Finding  my  own  footsteps  in  the  deep  dust,  I 
got  back  to  a pathway  with  a monstrous  bamboo 
hedge  on  one  side,  and  a rice-field  on  the  other,  in 
which  was  a slimy  looking  pond  with  a margin  of 
pink  water-lilies,  in  which  a number  of  pink  buffa- 
loes of  large  size  were  wallowing  with  much  noise 
and  rough  play,  plastering  their  sensitive  hides  with 
mud  as  a protection  against  mosquitoes. 

With  some  difficulty,  by  some  very  queer  paths 
and  with  much  zigzagging,  I at  last  reached  Cholen,* 
a native  town,  said  to  be  three  or  eight  miles  from 
Saigon,  and  was  so  exhausted  by  the  fatigue  of  the 
long  walk  in  such  a ferocious  temperature  that  I sat 
by  the  roadside  on  a stump  under  a huge  tropical 
tree,  considering  the  ways  of  ants  and  Anamites. 
Children  with  brown  chubby  faces  which  had  never 
been  washed  since  birth, ^and,  according  to  all  ac- 
counts, will  never  be  washed  till  death,  stood  in  a 


* Cholen,  i.e.,  the  big  market,  has  a population  which  is  variously  esti- 
mated at  from  30.000  to  80,000.  I am  inclined  to  think  that  the  lowest  esti- 
mate is  nearest  the  mark. — I.  L.  B. 


126 


THE  GOLD  EH  CHERSONESE 


row,  staring  the  stare  of  apathy,  with  a quiet  confi- 
dence. They  had  no  clothes  on,  and  I admired 
their  well-made  forms  and  freedom  from  skin  dis- 
ease. The  Mongolian  face  is  pleasant  in  childhood. 
A horde  of  pariah  dogs  in  the  mad  excitement  of  a 
free  fight,  passed,  covering  me  with  dust.  (By  the 
way,  I am  told  that  hydrophobia  is  unknown  in 
Cochin  China.)  Then  some  French  artillerymen, 
who  politely  raised  their  caps  ; then  a quantity  of 
market  girls,  dressed  like  the  same  class  in  China, 
but  instead  of  being  bare-headed,  they  wore  basket 
hats,  made  of  dried  leaves,  fully  twenty-four  inches 
in  diameter,  by  six  in  depth.  These  girls  walked 
well,  and  looked  happy.  Then  a train  of  Anamese 
carts  passed,  empty,  the  solid  wooden  wheels  creak- 
ing frightfully  round  the  ungreased  axles,  each  cart 
being  drawn  by  two  buffaloes,  each  pair  being  at- 
tached to  the  cart  in  front  by  a rope  through  the 
nostrils,  so  that  one  driver  sufficed  for  eleven  carts. 
The  native  men  could  not  be  said  to  be  clothed,  but, 
as  I remarked  before,  the  mercury  was  above  go0. 
They  were,  however,  protected  both  against  sun 
and  rain  by  hats  over  three  feet  in  diameter,  very 
conical,  peaked  at  the  top,  coming  down  um- 
brella fashion  over  the  shoulders,  and  well  tilted 
back. 

After  laboriously  reaching  Cholen,  I found  far 
the  greater  part  of  the  town  to  be  Chinese,  rather 
than  Anamese,  with  Chinese  streets,  temples,  gam- 
ing houses,  club  houses,  and  that  general  air  of 


AN  AMITE  RIVER-DWELLINGS.  12  J 

business  and  industry  which  seems  characteristic  of 
the  Chinese  everywhere  ; but  still  groping  my  way 
about,  I came  upon  what  I most  wished  to  see — - 
the  real  Anamese  town.  There  is  a river,  the  Me- 
kong, or  one  of  its  branches,  and  the  town — the 
real  native  Cholen — consists  of  a very  large  collec- 
tion of  river-dwellings,  little,  if  at  all,  superior  to 
those  which  we  passed  in  coming  up.  I spent  an 
hour  among  them,  and  I never  saw  any  house 
whose  area  could  be  more  than  twelve  feet  square, 
while  many  were  certainly  not  more  than  seven  feet 
by  six.  Such  primitive,  ramshackle,  shaky-looking 
dwellings  I never  before  have  seen.  As  compared 
with  them,  an  Aino  hut,  even  of  the  poorest  kind, 
is  a model  of  solidity  and  architectural  beauty. 
They  looked  as  if  a single  gust  would  topple  them 
and  their  human  contents  into  the  water.  Yet,  if 
it  were  better  carried  out,  it  is  not  a bad  idea  to 
avoid  paying  any  Anamese  form  of  rent,  to  secure 
perfect  drainage,  a never-failing  water  supply,  good 
fishing,  immunity  from  reptiles,  and  the  easiest  of  all 
highways  at  the  very  door. 

These  small  rooms  with  thatched  roofs  and  grid- 
iron floors,  raised  on  posts  six  or  eight  feet  above 
the  stream,  are  reached  from  the  shore  by  a path  a 
foot  wide,  consisting  of  planks  tied  on  to  posts. 
The  river-dwellings,  I must  add,  are  tied  together 
with  palm  fibre  rope.  One  of  average  size  can  be 
put  together  for  eleven  shillings.  In  front  of  each 
house  a log  canoe  is  moored,  into  which  it  is  easy 


128 


THE  GOLDEJV  CHERSONESE. 


to  drop  from  above  when  the  owner  desires  any 
change  of  attitude  or  scene. 

I ventured  into  two  of  these  strange  abodes,  but 
it  was  dizzy  work  to  walk  the  plank,  and  as  difficult 
to  walk  the  gridiron  floor  in  shoes.  Both  were 
wretched  habitations,  but  doubtless  they  suit  their 
inmates,  who  need  nothing  more  than  a shelter 
from  the  sun  and  rain.  The  men  wore  only  loin 
cloths.  The  women  were  clothed  to  the  throat  in 
loose  cotton  garments  ; the  children  wore  nothing. 
In  both  the  men  were  fishing  for  their  supper  over 
the  edge  of  their  platforms.  In  one  a woman  was 
cooking  rice  ; and  in  both  there  was  a good  store  of 
rice,  bananas,  and  sweet  potatoes.  There  was  no 
furniture  in  either,  except  matted  platforms  for 
sleeping  upon,  a few  coarse  pipkins,  a red  earthen- 
ware pitcher  or  two,  and  some  calabashes.  On  the 
wall  of  one  was  a crucifix,  and  on  a rafter  in  the 
other  a wooden  carving  of  a jolly-looking  man, 
mallet  in  hand,  seated  on  rice  bags,  intended  for 
Daikoku,  the  Japanese  God  of  Wealth.  The  peo- 
ple were  quite  unwashed,  but  the  draught  of  the 
river  carried  off  the  bad  smells  which  ought  to 
have  been  there,  and,  fortunately,  a gridiron  floor  is 
unfavorable  to  accumulations  of  dirt  and  refuse. 
These  natives  look  apathetic,  and  are,  according  to 
our  notions,  lazy  ; but  I am  weary  of  seeing  the 
fevered  pursuit  of  wealth,  and  am  inclined  to  be  leni- 
ent to  these  narcotized  existences,  provided,  as  is  the 
case,  that  they  keep  clear  of  debt,  theft,  and  charity. 


A WEARY  WALK. 


I29 

Below  this  amphibious  town  there  is  a larger  and 
apparently  permanent  floating  village,  consisting 
of  hundreds  of  boats  moored  to  the  shore  and  to 
each  other,  poor  and  forlorn  as  compared  with  the 
Canton  house  boats,  but  yet  more  crowded,  a single 
thatched  roof  sheltering  one  or  more  families,  with- 
out any  attempt  at  furniture  or  arrangement.  The 
children  swarmed,  and  looked  healthy,  and  remark- 
ably free  from  eye  and  skin  diseases.  There  were 
Romish  pictures  in  some  of  these  boats,  and  two 
or  three  of  them  exhibited  the  cross  in  a not  incon- 
spicuous place.  In  my  solitary  explorations  I was 
not  mobbed  or  rudely  treated  in  any  way.  The 
people  were  as  gentle  and  inoffensive  in  their  man- 
ners as  the  Japanese,  without  their  elaborate  cour- 
tesy and  civilized  curiosity. 

Having  seen  all  I could  see,  I turned  shipwards, 
weary,  footsore,  and  exhausted  ; my  feet  so  sore 
and  blistered,  indeed,  that  long  before  I reached  a 
gharrie  I was  obliged  to  take  off  my  boots  and 
wrap  them  in  handkerchiefs.  The  dust  was  deep 
and  made  heavy  walking,  and  the  level  straightness 
of  a great  part  of  the  road  is  wearisome.  Over- 
taking even  at  my  slow  rate  of  progress  a string  of 
creaking  buffalo  carts,  I got  upon  the  hindmost, 
but  after  a little  rest  found  the  noise,  dust,  and  slow 
progress  intolerable,  and  plodded  on  as  before, 
taking  two  and  a half  hours  to  walk  three  miles. 
About  a mile  from  Cholen  there  is  an  extraordinary 
burial-ground,  said  to  cover  an  area  of  twenty 
9 


130 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


square  miles.  (?)  It  is  thickly  peopled  with  the 
dead,  and  profuse  vegetation  and  funereal  lichens 
give  it  a profoundly  melancholy  look.  It  was 
chosen  by  the  Cambodian  kings  several  centuries 
ago  for  a cemetery,  on  the  advice  of  the  astrolo- 
gers of  the  court.  The  telegraph  wire  runs  near  it, 
and  so  the  old  and  the  new  asm  meet. 

On  my  weary  way  I was  overtaken  by  a young 
French  artillery  officer,  who  walked  with  me  until 
we  came  upon  an  empty  gharrie,  and  was  eloquent 
upon  the  miseries  of  Saigon.  It  is  a very  impor- 
tant military  station,  and  a sort  of  depot  for  the 
convicts  who  are  sent  to  the  (comparatively)  adja- 
cent settlement  of  New  Caledonia.  A large  force 
of  infantry  and  artillery  is  always  in  barracks  here, 
but  it  is  a most  sickly  station.  At  times  40  per 
cent,  of  this  force  is  in  hospital  from  climatic  dis- 
eases, and  the  number  of  men  invalided  home  by 
every  mail  steamer,  and  the  frequent  changes  nec- 
essary, make  Saigon  a very  costly  post.  The 
French  don’t  appear  to  be  successful  colonists. 
This  Cochin  Chinese  colony  of  theirs,  which  con- 
sists of  the  six  ancient  southern  provinces  of  the 
empire  of  Ana’m,  was  ceded  to  France  in  1874,  but 
its  European  population  is  still  under  twelve 
thousand,  exclusive  of  the  garrison  and  the  Gov- 
ernment  officials.  The  Government  consists  of  a 
governor,  aided  by  a privy  council.  The  popula- 
tion of  the  colony  is  under  a million  and  a half,  in- 
cluding eighty-two  thousand  Cambodians  and  forty 


AN  UNSUCCESSFUL  COLONY.  131 

thousand  Chinese.  According  to  my  various  in- 
formants— this  young  French  officer,  a French  nun, 
and  a trader  of  dubious  nationality,  in  whose  shop 
I rested — France  is  doing  its  best  to  promote  the 
prosperity  and  secure  the  good-will  of  the  natives. 
The  land-tax,  which  was  very  oppressive  under  the 
native  princes,  has  been  lowered,  municipal  gov- 
ernment has  been  secured  to  the  native  towns,  and 
corporate  and  personal  rights  have  been  respected. 
These  persons  believe  that  the  colony,  far  from 
being  a source  of  profit  to  France,  is  kept  up  at  a 
heavy  annual  loss,  and  they  regard  the  Chinese  as 
the  only  element  in  the  population  worth  having. 
They  think  the  Anamese  very  superior  to  the  Cam- 
bodians, from  whom  indeed  they  conquered  these 
six  provinces,  but  the  Cambodians  are  a bigger  and 
finer  race  physically. 

I do  not  think  I have  said  how  hideous  I think 
the  adult  Anamese.  Somewhere  I have  read  that 
two  thousand  years  before  our  era  the  Chinese 
called  them  Giao-chi,  which  signifies  “with  the  bio- 
toe.”  This  led  me  to  look  particularly  at  their 
bare  feet,  and  I noticed  even  in  children  such  a 
wide  separation  of  the  big  toe  from  the  rest  as  to 
convey  the  perhaps  erroneous  impression  that  it  is 
of  unusual  size.  The  men  are  singularly  wide  at 
the  hips,  and  walk  with  a laughably  swaggering 
gait,  which  is  certainly  not  affectation,  but  is  pro- 
duced by  a sufficient  anatomical  cause.  I never 
saw  such  ugly,  thick-set,  rigid  bodies,  such  uni- 


132 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


formly  short  necks,  such  sloping  shoulders,  such 
flat  faces  and  flatter  noses,  such  wide,  heavy,  thick- 
lipped  mouths,  such  projecting  cheek-bones,  such 
low  foreheads,  such  flat-topped  heads,  and  such 
tight,  thick  skin,  which  suggests  the  word  hide- 
bound. The  dark,  tawny  complexion  has  no  rich- 
ness of  tint.  Both  men  and  women  are  short,  and 
the  teeth  of  both  sexes  are  blackened  by  the  con- 
stant chewing  of  the  betel-nut,  which  reddens  the 
saliva,  which  is  constantly  flowing  like  blood  from 
the  corners  of  their  mouths.  Though  not  a vig- 
orous, they  appear  to  be  a healthy  people,  and  have 
very  large  families.  They  suffer  chiefly  from 
“forest  fever”  in  the  forest  lands,  but  the  rice 
swamps,  deadly  to  Europeans,  do  not  harm  them. 

I rested  for  some  time  at  a very  beautiful  con- 
vent, and  was  most  kindly  entertained  by  some  very 
calm,  sweet-looking  sisters,  who  labor  piously 
among  the  female  Anamese,  and  have  schools  for 
girls.  The  troops  are  stationed  at  Saigon  for  only 
two  years,  owing  to  the  unhealthiness  of  the  cli- 
mate, but  these  pious  women  have  no  sanitarium, 
and  live  and  die  at  their  posts.  Various  things  in 
the  convent  chapel  remind  one  of  the  faithfulness 
unto  death  both  of  missionaries  and  converts.  In 
this  century  alone  three  successive  kings  rivalled 
each  other  in  persecuting  the  Christians,  both 
Europeans  and  native,  over  and  over  again  murder- 
ing all  the  missionaries.  In  1841  the  king  ordered 
that  all  missionaries  should  be  drowned,  and  in  1851 


AN  UNHEALTHY  CLIMATE. 


133 


his  successor  ordered  that  whoever  concealed  a 
missionary  should  be  cut  in  two.  The  terrible  and 
sanguinary  persecution  which  followed  this  edict 
never  ceased,  till  years  afterward  the  French  fright- 
ened the  king  into  toleration,  and  put  an  end,  one 
hopes  forever,  to  the  persecution  of  Christians. 
The  sisters  compute  the  native  Christians  at  seven 
thousand,  and  have  sanguine  hopes  for  the  future 
of  Christianity  in  French  Cochin  China,  as  well  as 
in  Cambodia,  which  appears  to  be  under  a French 
protectorate. 

I do  not  envy  the  French  their  colony.  Accord- 
ing to  my  three  informants,  Europeans  cannot  be 
acclimatized,  and  most  of  the  children  born  of  white 
parents  die  shortly  after  birth.  The  shores  of  the 
sea  and  of  the  rivers  are  scourged  by  severe  inter- 
mittent fevers,  and  the  whole  of  the  colony  by  dys- 
entery, which  among  Europeans  is  particularly  fatal. 
The  mean  temperature  is  83°  F.,  the  dampness  is 
unusual,  and  the  nights  are  too  hot  to  refresh  peo- 
ple after  the  heat  of  the  day.* 

After  leaving  the  convent  I resumed  my  gharrie, 
and  the  driver  took  me,  what  I suppose  is  the 
usual  “course”  for  tourists,  through  a quaint  Asi- 
atic town  inhabited  by  a mixed,  foreign  population 
of  Hindus,  Malays,  Tagals,  and  Chinese  merchants, 


* The  chief  production  of  the  country  is  rice,  which  forms  half  the  sum 
total  of  the  exports.  The  other  exports  are  chiefly  salt-fish,  salt,  undyed 
cotton,  skins  of  beasts,  and  pepper.  About  seven  hundred  vessels  enter  and 
leave  Saigon  in  a year. 


134 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


scattered  among  a large  indigenous  population  of 
Anamese  fishermen,  servants,  and  husbandmen, 
through  the  colonial  district,  which  looked  asleep  or 
dead,  to  the  markets,  where  the  Chinamen  and  na- 
tives of  India  were  in  the  full  swing  and  din  of  buy- 
ing and  selling  all  sorts  of  tropical  fruits  and  rub- 
bishy French  goods,  and  through  what  may  be 
called  the  Government  town  or  official  quarter.  It 
was  getting  dark  when  I reached  the  wharf,  and  the 
darkness  enabled  me  to  hobble  unperceived  on 
board  on  my  bandaged  feet.  The  heat  of  the 
murky,  lurid  evening  was  awful,  and  as  thousands 
of  mosquitoes  took  possession  of  the  ship,  all  com- 
fort was  banished,  and  I was  glad  when  we  steamed 
down  the  palm-fringed  Saigon  or  Donnai  waters, 
and  through  the  mangrove  swamps  at  the  mouths 
of  the  Me-kong  river,  and  past  the  lofty  Cape  St. 
Jacques,  with  its  fort,  into  the  open  China  Sea. 

I.  L.  B. 


LETTER  VII. 


Singapore,  January  19,  1879. 

It  is  hot — so  hot  ! — but  not  stifling,  and  all  the 
rich-flavored,  colored  fruits  of  the  tropics  are  here 
— fruits  whose  generous  juices  are  drawn  from  the 
moist  and  heated  earth,  and  whose  flavors  are  the 
imprisoned  rays  of  the  fierce  sun  of  the  tropics. 
Such  cartloads  and  piles  of  bananas  and  pine-apples, 
such  heaps  of  custard-apples  and  “bullocks’  hearts,” 
such  a wealth  of  gold  and  green  giving  off  fragrance ! 
Here,  too,  are  treasures  of  the  heated,  crystal  seas 
— things  that  one  has  dreamed  of  after  reading 
Jules  Verne’s  romances.  Big  canoes,  manned  by 
dark-skinned  men  in  white  turbans  and  loin-cloths, 
floated  round  our  ship,  or  lay  poised  on  the  clear 
depths  of  aquamarine  water,  with  fairy  freights — 
forests  of  coral  white  as  snow,  or  red,  pink,  violet, 
in  massive  branches  or  fern-like  sprays,  fresh  from 
their  warm  homes  beneath  the  clear  warm  waves, 
where  fish  as  bright-tinted  as  themselves  flash 
through  them  like  “living  light.”  There  were  clis- 
plays  of  wonderful  shells,  too,  of  pale  rose-pink,  and 
others  with  rainbow  tints  which,  like  rainbows,  came 
and  went — nothing  scanty,  feeble,  or  pale ! 

It  is  a drive  of  two  miles  from  the  pier  to  Singa- 

135 


1 36 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


pore,  and  to  eyes  which  have  only  seen  the  yellow 
skins  and  non-vividness  of  the  Far  East,  a world  of 
wonders  opens  at  every  step.  It  is  intensely  tropic- 
al ; there  are  mangrove  swamps,  and  fringes  of 
cocoa-palms,  and  banana-groves,  date,  sago,  and 
travelers’  palms,  tree-ferns,  india-rubber,  mango, 
custard-apple,  jack-fruit,  durion,  lime,  pomegranate, 
pine-apples,  and  orchids,  and  all  kinds  of  strangling 
and  parrot-blossomed  trailers.  Vegetation  rich, 
profuse,  endless,  rapid,  smothering,  in  all  shades  of 
vivid  green,  from  the  pea-green  of  spring  and  the 
dark  velvety  green  of  endless  summer  to  the  yellow- 
green  of  the  plumage  of  the  palm,  riots  in  a heavy 
shower  every  night  and  the  heat  of  a perennial  sun- 
blaze  every  day,  while  monkeys  of  various  kinds 
and  bright-winged  birds  skip  and  flit  through  the 
jungle  shades.  There  is  a perpetual  battle  between 
man  and  the  jungle,  and  the  latter,  in  fact,  is  only 
brought  to  bay  within  a short  distance  of  Singapore. 

I had  scarcely  finished  breakfast  at  the  hotel,  a 
shady,  straggling  building,  much  infested  by  ants, 
when  Mr.  Cecil  Smith,  the  Colonial  Secretary,  and 
his  wife  called,  full  of  kind  thoughts  and  plans  of 
furtherance  ; and  a little  later  a resident,  to  whom 
I had  not  even  a letter  of  introduction,  took  me  and 
my  luggage  to  his  bungalow.  All  the  European 
houses  seem  to  have  very  deep  verandas,  large, 
lofty  rooms,  punkahs  everywhere,  windows  without 
glass,  brick  floors,  and  jalousies  and  “ tatties  ” 
(blinds  made  of  grass  or  finely-split  bamboo)  to 


AN  EQUATORIAL  METROPOLIS.  I 37 

keep  out  the  light  and  the  flies.  This  equatorial 
heat  is  neither  as  exhausting  or  depressing  as  the 
damp  summer  heat  of  Japan,  though  one  does  long 
“to  take  off  one’s  flesh  and  sit  in  one’s  bones.” 

I wonder  how  this  unexpected  and  hastily  planned 
expedition  into  the  Malay  States  will  turn  out?  It 
is  so  unlikely  that  the  different  arrangements  will 
fit  in.  It  seemed  an  event  in  the  dim  future;  but 
yesterday  my  host  sent  up  a “chit”  from  his  office 
to  say  that  a Chinese  steamer  is  to  sail  for  Malacca 
in  a day  or  two,  and  would  I like  to  go  ? I was 
only  allowed  five  minutes  for  decision,  but  I have 
no  difficulty  in  making  up  my  mind  when  an  escape 
from  civilization  is  possible.  So  I wrote  back  that 
if  I could  get  my  money  and  letters  of  introduction 
in  time  I would  go,  and  returned  to  dine  at  Mr. 
Cecil  Smith’s,  where  a delightfully  cultured  and  in- 
tellectual atmosphere  made  civilization  more  than 
tolerable.  The  needed  letters  were  written,  various 
hints  for  my  guidance  were  thrown  out,  and  I drove 
back  at  half-past  ten  under  heavens  which  were  one 
blaze  of  stars  amidst  a dust  of  nebulae,  like  the  in- 
laid gold  spots  amidst  a dust  of  gold  on  old  Japan- 
ese lacquer,  and  through  a moist,  warm  atmosphere 
laden  with  the  heavy  fragrance  of  innumerable 
night-blossoming  flowers. 

Singapore,  as  the  capital  of  the  Straits  Settle- 
ments and  the  residence  of  the  Governor,  has  a 
garrison,  defensive  works,  ships  of  war  hanging 
about,  and  a great  deal  of  military  as  well  as  com- 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


138 

mercial  importance,  and  “ the  roll  of  the  British 
drum  ” is  a reassuring  sound  in  the  midst  of  the  un- 
quiet Chinese  population.  The  Governor  is  assisted 
by  lieutenant-governors  at  Malacca  and  Penang,  and 
his  actual  rule  extends  to  the  three  “ protected  ” 
States  of  the  Malay  Peninsula — Surgei-Ujong, 
Selangor,  and  Perak— the  affairs  of  which  are  ad- 
ministered by  British  Residents,  who  are  more  or 
less  responsible  to  him. 

If  *1  fail  in  making  you  realize  Singapore  it  is 
partly  because  I do  not  care  to  go  into  much  detail 
about  so  well  known  a city,  and  partly  because  my 
own  notions  of  it  are  mainly  of  overpowering  green- 
ery, a kaleidoscopic  arrangement  of  colors,  Chinese 
predominance,  and  abounding  hospitality.  I almost 
fail  to  realize  that  it  is  an  island  ; one  of  many  ; all, 
like  itself,  covered  with  vegetation  down  to  the 
water’s  edge  ; about  twenty-seven  miles  long  by 
fourteen  broad,  with  the  city  at  its  southern  end. 
It  is  only  seventy  miles  from  the  equator,  but  it  is 
neither  unhealthy  nor  overpoweringly  hot!  It  is 
low  and  undulating,  its  highest  point,  Bukit  Timor, 
or  the  Hill  of  Tin,  being  only  five  hundred  and 
twenty  feet  high.  The  greatest  curse  here  used  to 
be  tigers,  which  carried  off  about  three  hundred 
people  yearly.  They  were  supposed  to  have  been 
extirpated,  but  they  have  reappeared,  swimming 
across  from  the  mainland  State  of  Johore  it  is  con- 
jectured ; and  as  various  lonely  Chinese  laborers 
have  been  victimized,  there  is  somethingof  a “scare,” 


SOCIETY  IN  SINGAPORE.  I 39 

in  the  papers  at  least.  Turtles  are  so  abundant 
that  turtle-soup  is  anything  but  a luxury,  and  turtle 
flesh  is  ordinarily  sold  in  the  meat  shops. 

Rain  is  officially  said  to  fall  on  two  hundred  days 
of  the  year,  but  popularly  every  day  ! The  rainfall 
is  only  eighty-seven  inches,  however,  and  the  glo- 
rious vegetation  owes  its  redundancy  to  the  damp- 
ness of  the  climate.  Of  course  Singapore  has  no 
seasons.  The  variety  is  only  in  the  intensity  of  the 
heat,  the  mercury  being  tolerably  steady  between 
8o°  and  84°,  the  extreme  range  of  temperature  being 
from  710  to  92  . People  sleep  on  Malay  mats  spread 
over  their  mattresses  for  coolness,  some  dispense 
with  upper  sheets,  and  others  are  fanned  all  night 
by  punkahs.  The  soft  and  tepid  land  and  sea 
breezes  mitigate  the  heat  to  a slight  extent,  but  I 
should  soon  long  for  a blustering  north-easter  to 
break  in  upon  the  oppressive  and  vapor-bath  still- 
ness. 

As  Singapore  is  a military  station,  and  ships  of 
Avar  hang  about  constantly,  there  is  a great  deal  of 
fluctuating  society,  and  the  officials  of  the  Straits 
Settlements  Government  are  numerous  enough  to 
form  a large  society  of  them  own.  Then  there  is 
the  merchant  class,  English,  German,  French,  and 
American  ; and  there  is  the  usual  round  of  gayety, 
and  of  t»he  amusements  which  make  life  intolerable. 
I think  that  in  most  of  these  tropical  colonies  the 
ladies  exist  only  on  the  hope  of  going  “ home  ! ” 
It  is  a dreary,  aimless  life  for  them — scarcely  life, 


140 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


only  existence.  The  greatest  sign  of  vitality  in 
Singapore  Europeans  that  I can  see  is  the  furious 
hurry  in  writing  for  the  mail.  To  all  sorts  of  claims 
and  invitations,  the  reply  is,  “ But  it’s  mail  day,  you 
know,”  or,  “ I’m  writing  for  the  mail,”  or,  “ I’m 
awfully  behind  hand  with  my  letters,”  or,  “ I can’t 
stir  till  the  mail’s  gone  ! ” The  hurry  is  desperate, 
and  even  the  feeble  Englishwomen  exert  themselves 
for  “ friends  at  home.”  To  judge  from  the  flurry 
and  excitement,  and  the  driving  down  to  the  post- 
office  at  the  last  moment,  and  the  commotion  in  the 
parboiled  community,  one  would  suppose  the  mail 
to  be  an  uncertain  event  occurring  once  in  a year 
or  two,  rather  than  the  most  regular  of  weekly  fixt- 
ures'! The  incoming  mail  is  also  a great  event, 
though  its  public  and  commercial  news  is  anticipated 
by  four  weeks  by  the  telegraph. 

The  Americans  boast  of  the  rapid  progress  of 
San  Francisco,  with  which  the  Victorians  boast 
that  Melbourne  is  running  a neck  and  neck  race  ; 
but,  if  boasting  is  allowable,  Singapore  may  boast, 
for  in  1818  the  island  was  covered  with  dense 
primeval  forest,  and  only  a few  miserable  fishermen 
and  pirates  inhabited  its  creeks  and  rivers.  The 
prescience  of  Sir  Stamford  Raffles  marked  it  out  in 
1819  as  the  site  of  the  first  free  port  in  the  Malayan 
Seas,  but  it  was  not  till  1824  that  it  was  formally 
ceded  to  the  East  India  Company  by  the  Sultan 
of  Johore,  and  it  only  became  a Crown  colony  in 
1867,  when  it  was  erected  into  the  capital  of  the 


THE  GROWTH  OF  SINGAPORE.  141 

Straits  Settlements,  which  include  Malacca  and 
Penang. 

Like  Victoria,  Singapore  is  a free  port,  and  the 
vexatiousness  of  a custom-house  is  unknown.  The 
only  tax  which  shipping  pays  is  1 Yt.  per  cent,  for  the 
support  of  sundry  lighthouses.  The  list  of  its  ex- 
ports suggests  heat.  They  are  chiefly  sugar,  pep- 
per, tin,  nutmegs,  mace,  sago,  tapioca,  rice,  buffalo 
hides  and  horns,  rattans,  gutta,  india  rubber,  gam- 
bier,  gums,  coffee,  dye-stuffs,  and  tobacco,  but  the 
island  itself,  though  its  soil  looks  rich  from  its  red 
ness,  only  produces  pepper  and  gambier.  It  is  a 
great  entrepot,  a gigantic  distributing  point.* 

The  problem  of  raising  a revenue  without  cus- 
toms duties  is  solved  by  a stamp-tax,  land-revenue, 
and  (by  far  the  most  important),  the  sale  of  the 
monopolies  of  the  preparation  and  retailing  of 
opium  for  smoking,  and  of  spirits  and  other  excisa- 
ble commodities,  these  monopolies  being  “ farmed  ” 
to  private  individuals,  mostly  Chinamen.  It  is 
rather  puzzling  to  hear  “ farmers  ” spoken  of  so 
near  the  equator.  A revenue  of  nearly  half  a mill- 
ion annually  and  a public  debt  of  one  hundred 
thousand  pounds  is  not  bad  for  so  young  a col- 
ony. The  prosperity  of  the  Straits  Settlements 
ports  is  a great  triumph  for  free  traders,  and  a trav- 

* The  exports  and  imports  of  Singapore  amounted  in  1823  to  ,£2,120,000, 
in  1859-60  to  ^10,371,000,  and  in  1880,  to  ^23.050,000!  In  the  latter 
year,  tonnage  to  the  amount  of  three  millions  of  tons  arrived  in  its  harbor.  It 
must  be  observed  that  the  imports,  to  a very  large  extent,  are  exported  to 
other  places. 


142 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


eler,  even  if,  like  myself,  he  has  nothing  but  a can- 
vas roll  and  a “ Gladstone  bag,”  congratulates  him- 
self on  being  saved  from  the  bother  of  unstrapping 
and  restrapping  stiffened  and  refractory  straps,  and 
from  the  tiresome  delays  of  even  the  most  courte- 
ous custom-house  officers. 

The  official  circle  is  large,  as  I before  remarked. 
A Crown  colony  where  the  Government  has  it  all 
its  own  way  must  be  the  paradise  of  officials,  and 
the  high  sense  of  honor  and  the  righteous  esprit  etc 
corps  which  characterize  our  civil  servants  in  the 
Far  East,  and  a conscientious  sense  of  responsibil- 
ities for  the  good  government  and  well-being  of  the 
heterogeneous  populations  over  which  they  rule, 
seem  as  good  a check  as  the  general  run  of  colonial 
parliaments. 

The  Governor,  Sir  William  Robinson  (now  Sir 
F.  A.  Weld),  is  assisted  by  an  Executive  Council 
of  eight  members,  and  a Legislative  Council  con- 
sisting of  nine  official  and  six  non-official  members, 
including  Mr.  Whampoa,  C.M.G.,  a Chinaman  of 
great  wealth  and  enlightened  public  spirit,  who  is 
one  of  the  foremost  men  in  the  colony.  Then  on 
the  Civil  Establishment  there  are  a legion  of  de- 
partments,— the  Colonial  Secretary’s  office  with  a 
branch  office  and  Chinese  Protectorate , a Land 
Office,  Printing  Office,  Treasury,  Audit  Office, 
Post  Office,  Public  Works  and  Survey  Depart- 
ment, Marine  Department,  Judicial  Department, 
Attorney-General’s  Department,  Sheriff’s  Depart- 


THE  STAPLE  OF  CONVERSA  TION. 


143 


ment,  Police  Court  and  Police  Department,  and 
Ecclesiastical,  Educational,  Medical,  and  Prison 
Staffs. 

It  is  natural  that  when  the  mail  has  been  worn 
threadbare  and  no  stirring  incidents  present  them- 
selves, such  as  the  arrival  of  a new  ship  of  war  or 
a touring  foreign  prince,  and  the  receptions  of  Mr. 
Whampoa  and  the  Maharajah  of  Johore  have 
grown  insipid,  that  much  of  local  conversation 
should  consist  of  speculations  as  to  when  or  whether 

Mr.  will  get  promotion,  when  Mr. will  go 

home,  or  how  much  he  has  saved  out  of  his  salary; 
what  influence  has  procured  the  appointment  of 

Mr.  to  Selangor  or  Perak,  instead  of  Mr. 

, whose  qualifications  are  higher;  whether  Mr. 

’s  acting  appointment  will  be  confirmed; 

whether  Mr. will  get  one  or  two  years’  leave  ; 

whether  some  vacant  appointment  is  to  be  filled  up 
or  abolished,  and  so  on  ad  infinitum*  Such  talk 
girdles  the  colonial  world  as  completely  as  the  tele- 
graph, which  has  revolutionized  European  business 
here  as  elsewhere. 

The  island  is  far  less  interesting  than  the  city. 
Its  dense,  dark  jungle  is  broken  up  mainly  by  pepper 
and  gamber  plantations,  the  latter  specially  in  new 
clearings.  The  laborers  on  these  are  Chinese,  and 
so  are  the  wood-cutters  and  sawyers,  who  frequent 
the  round-topped  wooded  undulations.  The  cli- 
mate is  hotter  and  damper,  to  one’s  sensations  at 
least,  than  the  hottest  and  dampest  of  the  tropical 


144 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


houses  at  Kew,  and  heat-loving  insects  riot.  The 
ants  are  a pest  of  the  second  magnitude,  mosquitoes 
being  of  the  first,  the  palm-trees  and  the  piles  of 
decaying  leaves  and  bark  being  excellent  nurseries 
for  larvae.  The  vegetation  is  luxuriant,  and  in  the 
dim,  green  twilight  which  is  created  by  enormous 
forest  trees  there  are  endless  varieties  of  ferns,  cal- 
ladiums,  and  parasitic  plants  ; but  except  where  a 
road  has  been  cut  and  is  kept  open  by  continual 
labor,  the  climbing  rattan  palms  make  it  impossible 
to  explore. 

My  short  visit  has  been  mainly  occupied  with  the 
day  at  the  Colonial  Secretary’s  Lodge,  and  in  walk- 
ing and  driving  through  the  streets.  The  city  is 
ablaze  with  color  and  motley  with  costume.  The 
ruling  race  does  not  show  to  advantage.  A pale- 
skinned man  or  woman,  costumed  in  our  ugly, 
graceless  clothes,  reminds  one  not  pleasingly,  artis- 
tically at  l^ast,  of  our  dim,  pale  islands.  Every 
Oriental  costume  from  the  Levant  to  China  floats 
through  the  streets — robes  of  silk,  satin,  brocade, 
and  white  muslin,  emphasized  by  the  glitter  of 
“barbaric  gold;”  and  Parsees  in  spotless  white, 
Jews  and  Arabs  in  dark  rich  silks;  Klings  in  Turkey 
red  and  white  ; Bombay  merchants  in  great  white 
turbans,  full  trousers,  and  draperies,  all  white,  with 
crimson  silk  girdles  ; Malays  in  red  sarongs ; Sikhs 
in  pure  white  Madras  muslin,  their  great  height 
rendered  nearly  colossal  by  the  classic  arrangement 
of  their  draperies ; and  Chinamen  of  all  classes, 


A POLYGLOT  POPULATION. 


x45 


from  the  coolie  in  his  blue  or  brown  cotton,  to  the 
wealthy  merchant  in  his  frothy  silk  crepe  and  rich 
brocade,  make  up  an  irresistibly  fascinating  medley. 

The  English,  though  powerful  as  the  ruling  race, 
are  numerically  nowhere,  and  certainly  make  no  im- 
pression on  the  eye.  The  Chinese,  who  number 
eighty-six  thousand  out  of  a population  of  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty-nine  thousand,  are  not  only  numer- 
ous enough,  but  rich  and  important  enough  to  give 
Singapore  the  air  of  a Chinese  town  with  a foreign 
settlement.  Then  there  are  the  native  Malays, 
who  have  crowded  into  the  island  since  we  acquired 
it,  till  they  number  twenty-two  thousand,  and  who, 
besides  being  tolerably  industrious  as  boatmen  and 
fishermen,  form  the  main  body  of  the  police.  The 
Parsee  merchants,  who  like  our  rule,  form  a re- 
spectable class  of  merchants  here,  as  in  all  the 
great  trading  cities  of  the  East.  The  Javanese  are 
numerous,  and  make  good  servants  and  sailors. 
Some  of  the  small  merchants  and  many  of  the 
clerks  are  Portuguese  immigrants  from  Malacca ; 
and  traders  from  Borneo,  Sumatra,  Celebes,  Bali, 
and  other  islands  of  the  Malay  Archipelago  are 
scattered  among  the  throng.  The  washermen  and 
■ooms  are  nearly  all  Bengalees.  Jews  and  Arabs 
make  money  and  keep  it,  and  are,  as  everywhere, 
shrewd  and  keen,  and  only  meet  their  equals  among 
the  Chinese.  Among  the  twelve  thousand  natives 
of  India  who  have  been  attracted  to  Singapore,  and 
among  all  the  mingled  foreign  nationalities,  the 

IO 


146  THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

Klings  from  the  Coromandel  coast,  besides  being 
the  most  numerous  of  all  next  to  the  Chinese,  are 
the  most  attractive  in  appearance,  and  as  there  is 
no  check  on  the  immigration  of  their  women,  one 
sees  the  unveiled  Kling  beauties  in  great  numbers.* 
These  Klings  are  active  and  industrious,  but 
they  lack  fibre  apparently,  and  that  quick-sighted- 
ness  for  opportunities  which  makes  the  Chinese  the 
most  successful  of  all  emigrants.  Not  a Malay  or 
a Kling  has  raised  himself  either  as  a merchant  or 
in  any  other  capacity  to  wealth  or  distinction  in 
the  colony.  The  Klings  make  splendid  boatmen, 
they  drive  gharries,  run  as  syces,  lend  small  sums 


* The  Singapore  census  returns  for  1881  are  by  no  means  “ dry  reading,” 
and  they  give  a very  imposing  idea  of  the  importance  of  the  island.  It  is  in- 
teresting to  note  that  of  the  434  enumerators  employed  only  seven  were  Eu- 
ropeans ! 

The  number  of  houses  on  the  island  is  20,462,  the  total  population  is  139- 
208  souls,  viz.,  105,423  males  and  33,785  females.  The  total  increase  in  ten 


years  is  divided  as  follows  : — 

Europeans  and  Americans  ......  823 

Eurasians  .........  930 

Chinese  .........  32,194 

Malays  and  other  natives  of  the  Archipelago  . . . 6,954 

Tamils  and  other  natives  of  India  ....  637 

Other  nationalities  .......  559 


Among  these  “ other  nationalities  ” the  great  increase  has  been  among  the 
Arabs,  who  have  nearly  doubled  their  numbers.  Among  the  “ Malays  and 
other  natives  of  the  Archipelago  ” are  included,  Achinese,  Boyanese,  Bugis, 
Dyaks,  Jawi-rekans,  and  Manilamen. 

The  European  resident  population,  exclusive  of  the  soldiers,  is  only  1,283. 
The  Chinese  population  is  86,766  ; the  Malay,  22,114  ; the  Tamil,  10,475  ; 
the  Javanese,  5,881;  and  the  Eurasian,  3,091.  In  the  very  small  European 
population  19  nationalities  are  included,  the  Germans  numerically  following 
the  British.  Of  15,368  domestic  servants,  only  844  are  women. 


FEMALE  GRACE  AND  BEAUTY. 


147 


of  money  at  usurious  interest,  sell  fruit,  keep  small 
shops,  carry  “ chit  books,”  and  make  themselves  as 
generally  useful  as  their  mediocre  abilities  allow- 
They  are  said  to  be  a harmless  people  so  far  as 
deeds  go.  They  neither  fight,  organize,  nor  get 
into  police  rows,  but  they  quarrel  loudly  and  vocif- 
erously, and  their  vocabulary  of  abuse  is  said  to  be 
inexhaustible.  The  Kling  men  are  very  fine-look- 
ing, lithe  and  active,  and,  as  they  clothe  but  little, 
their  forms  are  seen  to  great  advantage.  The 
women  are,  I think,  beautiful  — not  so  much  in  face 
as  in  form  and  carriage.  I am  never  weary  of 
watching  and  admiring  their  inimitable  grace  of 
movement.  Their  faces  are  oval,  their  foreheads 
low,  their  eyes  dark  and  liquid,  their  noses  shapely, 
but  disfigured  by  the  universal  adoption  of  jewelled 
nose-rings  ; their  lips  full,  but  not  thick  or  coarse  ; 
their  heads  small,  and  exquisitely  set  on  long, 
slender  throats  ; their  ears  small,  but  much  dragged 
out  of  shape  by  the  wearing  of  two  or  three  hoop- 
ear-rings  in  each  ; and  their  glossy,  wavy,  black  hair, 
which  grows  classically  low  on  the  forehead,  is 
gathered  into  a Grecian  knot  at  the  back.  Their 
clothing,  or  rather  drapery,  is  a mystery,  for  it 
covers  and  drapes  perfectly,  yet  has  no  make , far 
less  fit,  and  leaves  every  graceful  movement  unim- 
peded. It  seems  to  consist  of  ten  wide  yards  of 
soft  white  muslin  or  soft  red  material,  so  ingeniously 
disposed  as  to  drape  the  bust  and  lower  limbs,  and 
form  a girdle  at  the  same  time.  One  shoulder  and 


148  THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

arm  are  usually  left  bare.  The  part  which  may  be 
called  a petticoat — though  the  word  is  a slur  upon 
the  graceful  drapery — is  short,  and  shows  the  finely 
turjied  ankles,  high  insteps,  and  small  feet.  These 
women  are  tall,  and  straight  as  arrows  ; their  limbs 
are  long  and  rounded  ; their  appearance  is  timid, 
one  might  almost  say  modest,  and  their  walk  is 
the  poetry  of  movement.  A tall,  graceful  Ivling 
woman,  draped  as  I have  described,  gliding  along 
the  pavement,  her  statuesque  figure  the  perfection 
of  graceful  ease,  a dark  pitcher  on  her  head,  just 
touched  by  the  beautiful  hand,  showing  the  finely 
moulded  arm,  is  a beautiful  object,  classical  inform, 
exquisite  in  movement,  and  artistic  in  coloring,  a 
creation  of  the  tropic  sun.  What  thinks  she,  I 
wonder,  if  she  thinks  at  all,  of  the  pale  European, 
paler  for  want  of  exercise  and  engrossing  occupa- 
tion, who  steps  out  of  her  carriage  in  front  of  her, 
an  ungraceful  heap  of  poufs  and  frills,  tottering 
painfully  on  high  heels,  in  tight  boots,  her  figure 
distorted  into  the  shape  of  a Japanese  sake  bottle, 
every  movement  a struggle  or  a jerk,  the  clothing 
utterly  unsuited  to  this  or  any  climate,  impeding 
motion,  and  affecting  health,  comfort,  and  beauty 
alike  ? 

It  is  all  fascinating.  Here  is  none  of  the  indo- 
lence  and  apathy  which  one  associates  with  Orien- 
tal life,  and  which  I have  seen  in  Polynesia.  These 
yellow,  brown,  tawny,  swarthy,  olive-tinted  men  are 
all  intent  on  gain  ; busy,  industrious,  frugal,  striv- 


LIVES  OF  EUROPEANS.  1 49 

ing,  and,  no  matter  what  their  creed  is,  all  paying 
homage  to  Daikoku.  In  spite  of  the  activity,  ra- 
pidity, and  earnestness,  the  movements  of  all  but 
the  Chinese  are  graceful,  gliding,  stealthy,  the 
swarthy  faces  have  no  expression  that  I can  read, 
and  the  dark,  liquid  eyes  are  no  more  intelligible 
to  me  than  the  eyes  of  oxen.  It  is  the  “ Asian 
mystery”  all  over. 

It  is  only  the  European  part  of  Singapore  which 
is  dull  and  sleepy  looking.  No  life  and  movement 
congregate  round  the  shops.  The  merchants,  hid- 
den away  behind  jalousies  in  their  offices,  or  dash- 
ing down  the  streets  in  covered  buggies,  make  but 
a poor  show.  Their  houses  are  mostly  pale,  roomy, 
detached  bungalows,  almost  altogether  hidden  by 
the  bountiful  vegetation  of  the  climate.  In  these 
their  wives,  growing  paler  every  week,  lead  half-ex- 
piring lives,  kept  alive  by  the  efforts  of  ubiquitous 
“ punkah-wallahs ; ” writing  for  the  mail,  the  one 
active  occupation.  At  a given  hour  they  emerge, 
and  drive  in  given  directions,  specially  round  the 
esplanade,  where  for  two  hours  at  a time  a double 
row  of  handsome  and  showy  equipages  moves  con- 
tinuously in  opposite  directions.  The  number  of 
carriages  and  the  style  of  dress  of  their  occupants 
are  surprising,  and  yet  people  say  that  large  fortunes 
are  not  made  now-a-days  in  Singapore  ! Besides 
the  daily  drive,  the  ladies,  the  officers,  and  any  men 
who  may  be  described  as  of  “ no  occupation,”  divert 
themselves  with  kettle-drums,  dances,  lawn  tennis, 


I50  THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

and  various  other  devices  for  killing  time,  and  this 
with  the  mercury  at  8o° ! Just  now  the  Maharajah 
of  Johore,  sovereign  of  a small  state  on  the  nearest 
part  of  the  mainland,  a man  much  petted  and  deco- 
rated by  the  British  Government  for  unswerving 
fidelity  to  British  interests,  has  a house  here,  and 
his  receptions  and  dinner  parties  vary  the  monoto- 
nous round  of  gayeties. 

The  native  streets  monopolize  the  picturesque- 
ness of  Singapore  with  their  bizarre  crowds,  but 
more  interesting  still  are  the  bazaars  or  continuous 
rows  of  open  shops  which  create  for  themselves  a 
perpetual  twilight  by  hanging  tatties  or  other 
screens  outside  the  sidewalks,  forming  long  shady 
alleys,  in  which  crowds  of  buyers  and  sellers  chaffer 
over  their  goods,  the  Chinese  shopkeepers  asking 
a little  more  than  they  mean  to  take,  and  the  Klings 
always  asking  double.  The  bustle  and  noise  of  this 
quarter  are  considerable,  and  the  vociferation  min- 
gles with  the  ringing  of  bells  and  the  rapid  beating 
of  drums  and  tom-toms — an  intensely  heathenish 
sound.  And  heathenish  this  great  city  is.  Chi- 
nese joss-houses,  Hindu  temples,  and  Mohammedan 
mosques  almost  jostle  each  other,  and  the  indescrib- 
able clamor  of  the  temples  and  the  din  of  the  joss- 
houses  are  faintly  pierced  by  the  shrill  cry  from  the 
minarets  calling  the  faithful  to  prayer,  and  pro- 
claiming the  divine  unity  and  the  mission  of  Ma- 
homet in  one  breath. 

How  I wish  I coiiild  convey  an  idea,  however 


ORIENTAL  PICTURESQUENESS.  15  I 

faint,  of  this  huge,  mingled,  colored,  busy,  Oriental 
population  ; of  the  old  Kling  and  Chinese  bazaars  ; 
of  the  itinerant  sellers  of  seaweed  jelly,  water,  veg- 
etables, soup,  fruit,  and  cooked  fish,  whose  unintel- 
ligible street  cries  are  heard  above  the  din  of  the 
crowds  of  coolies,  boatmen,  and  gharriemen  waiting 
for  hire  ; of  the  far-stretching  suburbs  of  Malay  and 
Chinese  cottages;  of  the  sheet  of  water,  by  no 
means  clean,  round  which  hundreds  of  Bengalis  are 
to  be  seen  at  all  hours  of  daylight  unmercifully  beat- 
ing on  great  stones  the  delicate  laces,  gauzy  silks, 
and  elaborate  fiouncings  of  the  European  ladies  ; 
of  the  ceaseless  rush  and  hum  of  industry,  and  of 
the  resistless,  overpowering,  astonishing  Chinese 
element,  which  is  gradually  turning  Singapore  into 
a Chinese  city  ! I must  conclude  abruptly,  or  lose 
the  mail.  I.  L.  B. 


LETTER  VIII. 


S.  S.  “Rainbow,”  Malacca  Roads, 
Jan.  20. 

Yesterday  I attended  morning  service  in  St. 
Andrew’s,  a line  colonial  cathedral,  prettily  situated 
on  a broad  grass  lawn  among  clumps  of  trees  near 
the  sea.  There  is  some  stained  glass  in  the  apse, 
but  in  the  other  windows,  including  those  in  the 
clerestory,  Venetian  shutters  take  the  place  of 
glass,  as  in  all  the  European  houses.  There  are 
thirty-two  punkahs,  and  the  Indians  who  worked 
them,  any  one  of  whom  might  have  been  the  model 
of  the  Mercury  of  the  Naples  Museum,  sat  or 
squatted  outside  the  church.  The  service  was  sim- 
ple and  the  music  very  good,  but  in  the  Te  Dcum , 
just  as  the  verse  “Thou  art  the  King  of  Glory,  O 
Christ,”  I caught  sight  of  the  bronze  faces  of  these 
“ punkah -wallahs,”  mostly  bigoted  Mussulmen,  and 
was  overwhelmed  by  the  realization  of  the  small 
progress  which  Christianity  has  made  upon  the 
earth  in  nineteen  centuries.  A Singhalese  D. D. 
preached  an  able  sermon.  Just  before  the  com- 
munion we  were  called  out,  as  the  Rainbow  was 
about  to  sail,  and  a harbor  boat,  manned  by  six 
splendid  Klings,  put  us  on  board. 


152 


SCENES  IN  THE  HARBOR. 


153 


The  Rainbow  is  a very  small  vessel,  her  captain 
half  Portuguese  and  half  Malay,  her  crew  Chinese, 
and  her  cabin  passengers  were  all  Chinese  mer- 
chants. Her  engineer  is  a Welshman,  a kindly 

soul,  who  assured  Mr. , when  he  commended 

me  to  his  care,  that  “ he  was  a family  man,  and 
that  nothing  gave  him  greater  pleasure  than  seeing 
that  ladies  were  comfortable,”  and  I owe  to  his 
good  offices  the  very  small  modicum  of  comfort 
that  I had.  Waiting  on  the  little  bridge  was  far 
from  being  wearisome,  there  was  such  a fascination 
in  watching  the  costumed  and  manifold  life  of  the 
harbor,  the  black-hulled,  sullen-looking  steamers 
from  Europe  discharging  cargo  into  lighters,  Malay 
prahus  of  all  sizes  but  one  form,  sharp  at  both 
ends,  and  with  eyes  on  their  bows,  like  the  Can- 
tonese and  Cochin  China  boats,  reeling  as  though 
they  would  upset  under  large  mat  sails,  and  rowing- 
boats  rowed  by  handsome,  statuesque  Klings.  A 
steamer  from  Jeddah  was  discharging  six  hundred 
pilgrims  in  most  picturesque  costumes  ; and  there 
were  boats  with  men  in  crimson  turbans  and  grace- 
ful robes  of  pure  white  muslin,  and  others  a mass 
of  blue  umbrellas,  while  some  contained  Brahmins 
with  the  mark  of  caste  set  conspicuously  on  their 
foreheads,  all  moving  in  a veil  of  gold  in  the  setting 
of  a heavy  fringe  of  cocoa-palms. 

We  sailed  at  four,  with  a strong  favorable  breeze, 
and  the  sea  was  really  delightful  as  we  passed 
among  green  islets  clothed  down  to  the  water’s 


154 


THE  GOLDEN  CLIERSONESE. 


edge  with  dense  tropical  vegetation,  right  out  into 
the  open  water  of  the  Straits  of  Malacca,  a burn- 
ing, waveless  sea,  into  which  the  sun  was  descend- 
ing in  mingled  flame  and  blood.  Then,  dinner  for 
three,  consisting  of  an  excellent  curry,  was  spread 
on  the  top  of  the  cabin,  and  eaten  by  the  captain, 
engineer,  and  myself,  after  which  the  engineer 
took  me  below  to  arrange  for  my  comfort,  and  as 
it  was  obviously  impossible  for  me  to  sleep  in  a 
very  dirty  and  very  small  hole,  tenanted  by  cock- 
roaches disproportionately  large,  and  with  a tem- 
perature of  eighty-eight  degrees,  he  took  a mattress 
and  pillows  upon  the  bridge,  told  me  his  history, 
and  that  of  his  colored  wife  and  sixteen  children 
under  seventeen,  of  his  pay  of  ^35  a month,  lent 
me  a box  of  matches,  and  vanished  into  the  lower 
regions  with  the  consoling  words,  “ If  you  want 
anything  in  the  night,  just  call  ‘Engineer’  down 
the  engine  skylight.  ” It  does  one’s  heart  good  to 
meet  with  such  a countryman. 

The  Rainbow  is  one  of  the  many  tokens  of  pre- 
ponderating Chinese  influence  in  the  Straits  of 
Malacca.  The  tickets  are  Chinese,  as  well  as  the 
ownership  and  crew.  The  supercargo  who  took 
my  ticket  is  a sleek  young  Chinaman  in  a pigtail, 
girdle,  and  white  cotton  trousers.  The  cabin  pas- 
sengers are  all  Chinamen.  The  deck  was  packed 
with  Chinese  coolies  on  their  way  to  seek  wealth 
in  the  diggings  at  Perak.  They  were  lean,  yellow, 
and  ugly,  smoked  a pipe  of  opium  each  at  sundown, 


FIRST  VIEW  OF  MALACCA. 


155 


wore  their  pigtails  coiled  round  their  heads,  and 
loose  blue  cotton  trousers.  We  had  slipped  our 
• cable  at  Singapore,  because  these  coolies  were 
clambering  up  over  every  part  of  the  vessel,  and 
defying  all  attempts  to  keep  them  out,  so  that  “ to 
cut  and  run  ” was  our  only  chance.  The  owners 
do  not  allow  any  intoxicant  to  be  brought  on  board, 
lest  it  should  be  given  to  the  captain  and  crew,  and 
they  should  take  too  much  and  lose  the  vessel.  I 
am  the  only  European  passenger  and  the  only 
woman  on  board.  I had  a very  comfortable  night 
lying  on  deck  in  the  brisk  breeze  on  the  waveless 
sea,  and  though  I watched  the*  stars,  hoping  to  see 
the  Southern  Cross  set,  I fell  asleep,  till  I was 
awoke  at  the  very  earliest  dawn  by  a most  formid- 
able Oriental  shouting  to  me  very  fiercely  I thought, 
with  a fierce  face  ; but  it  occurred  to  me  that  he 
was  trying  to  make  me  understand  that  they  wanted 
to  wash  decks,  so  I lifted  my  mattress  on  a bench 
and  fell  asleep  again,  waking  to  find  the  anchor 
being  let  go  in  the  Malacca  roads  six  hours  before 
we  should  have  arrived. 

I am  greatly  interested  with  the  first  view  of 
Malacca,  one  of  the  oldest  European  towns  in  the 
East,  originally  Portuguese,  then  Dutch,  and  now, 
though  under  English  rule,  mainly  Chinese.  There 
is  a long  bay  with  dense  forests  of  cocoa-palms, 
backed  by  forests  of  I know  not  what,  then  rolling 
hills,  and  to  the  right  beyond  these  a mountain 
known  as  Mount  Ophir,  rich  in  gold.  Is  this  pos- 


156 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


sibly,  as  many  think,  the  Ophir  of  the  Bible,  and 
this  land  of  gems  and  gold  truly  the  “ Golden  Cher- 
sonese?” There  are  islets  of  emerald  green  lying 
to  the  south,  and  in  front  of  us  a town  of  antiquated 
appearance,  low  houses,  much  colored,  with  flattish, 
red-tiled  roofs,  many  of  them  built  on  piles,  strag- 
gling for  a long  distance,  and  fringed  by  massive- 
looking  bungalows,  half  buried  in  trees.  A hill 
rises  near  the  middle,  crowned  by  a ruined  cathe- 
dral, probqbly  the  oldest  Christian  church  in  tlie 
Far  East,  with  slopes  of  bright  green  grass  below, 
timbered  near  their  base  with  palms  and  trees  of 
a nearly  lemon-colored  vividness  of  spring-green, 
and  there  are  glimpses  of  low,  red  roofs  behind  the 
hill.  On  either  side  of  the  old-world-looking  town 
and  its  fringe  of  bungalows  are  glimpses  of  steep, 
reed  roofs  among  the  cocoa-palms.  A long,  deserted- 
looking  jetty  runs  far  out  into  the  shallow  sea,  a 
few  Chinese  junks  lie  at  anchor,  in  the  distance  a 
few  Malay  fishermen  are  watching  their  nets,  but 
not  a breath  stirs,  the  sea  is  without  a ripple, 
the  gray  clouds  move  not,  the  yellow  plumes  of 
the  palms  are  motionless ; the  sea,  the  sky,  the 
town,  look  all  alike  asleep  in  a still,  moist,  balmy 
heat. 

Stadthaus,  Malacca , 4 p.  in. — Presently  we  were 
surrounded  by  a crowd  of  Malay  boats  with  rude 
sails  made  of  mats,  but  their  crews  might  have  been 
phantoms  for  any  noise  they  made.  By  one  of 
these  I sent  my  card  and  note  of  introduction  to 


A TOWN  "OUT  OF  THE  RUNNING."  I 57 

the  Lieutenant-Governor.  An  hour  afterward  the 
captain  told  me  that  the  Governor  usually  went 
into  the  country  early  on  Monday  morning  for  two 
days,  which  seemed  unfortunate.  Soon  after,  the 
captain  and  engineer  went  ashore,  and  I was  left 
among  a crowd  of  Chinamen  and  Malays  without 
any  possibility  of  being  understood  by  any  of  them, 
to  endure  stifling  heat  and  provoking  uncertainty, 
much  aggravated  by  the  want  of  food,  for  another 
three  hours.  At  last,  when  very  nearly  famished, 
and  when  my  doubts  as  to  the  wisdom  of  this  novel 
and  impromptu  expedition  had  become  very  serious 
indeed,  a European  boat  appeared,  moving  with 
the  long  steady  stroke  of  a man-of-war’s  boat,  rowed 
by  six  native  policemen,  with  a frank-looking 
bearded  countryman  steering,  and  two  peons  in 
white,  with  scarlet-and-gold  hats  and  sashes,  in  the 
bow,  and  as  it  swept  up  to  the  Rainbow  s side  the 
man  in  white  stepped  on  board,  and  introduced 
himself  to  me  as  Mr.  Biggs,  the  colonial  chaplain, 
deputed  to  receive  me  on  behalf  of  the  Governor, 
who  was  just  leaving  when  my  card  arrived. 
He  relieved  all  anxiety  as  to  my  destination  by 
saying  that  quarters  were  ready  for  me  in  the 
Stadthaus. 

We  were  soon  on  a lovely  shore  under  the 
cathedral-crowned  hill,  where  the  velvety  turf  slopes 
down  to  the  sea  under  palms  and  trees  whose 
trunks  are  one  mass  of  ferns,  brightened  by  that 
wonderful  flowering  tree  variously  known  as  the 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


153 

“ flamboyant  ” and  the  u flame  of  the  forest  ” 
( Poinciana  Regia).  Very  still,  hot,  tropical,  sleepy, 
and  dreamy,  Malacca  looks,  a town  “out  of  the 
running,”  utterly  antiquated,  mainly  un-English,  a 
veritable  Sleepy  Hollow.  I.  L.  B. 


LETTER  IX. 


Stadthaus,  Malacca, 
January , 21-23. 

This  must  surely  fade  like  a dream,  this  grand 
old  Stadthaus,  this  old-world  quiet,  this  quaint  life; 
but  when  it  fades  I think  I shall  have  a memory  of 
having  been  “once  in  Elysium.”  Still.  Elysium 
should  have  no  mosquitoes,  and  they  are  nearly  in- 
supportable here  ; big  spotted  fellows,  with  a greed 
for  blood,  and  a specially  poisonous  bite,  taking 
the  place  at  daylight  of  the  retiring  nocturnal  host. 
The  Chinese  attendant  is  not  careful,  and  lets  mos- 
quitoes into  my  net,  and  even  one  means  a sleepless 
night.  They  are  maddening. 

I was  introduced  to  my  rooms,  with  their  floors 
of  red  Dutch  tiles,  their  blue  walls,  their  white- 
washed rafters,  their  doors  and  windows  consisting 
of  German  shutters  only,  their  ancient  beds  of  por- 
tentous height,  and  their  generally  silent  and 
haunted  look,  and  then  went  to  tiffin  with  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Biggs.  Mr.  Biggs  is  a student  of  hvmnology, 
and  we  were  soon  in  full  swing  on  this  mutually 
congenial  subject.  Mrs.  Biggs  devotes  her  time 
and  strength  to  the  training  and  education  of  young 
Portuguese  girls.  I pass  their  open  bungalow  as  I 


159 


i6o 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


go  to  and  from  the  Governor’s  cottage,  and  it 
usually  proves  a trap. 

Captain  Shaw,  who  has  been  for  many  years 
Lieutenant-Governor  of  Malacca,  is  a fine,  hearty, 
frank,  merry,  manly,  Irish  naval  officer,  well  read 
and  well  informed,  devoted  to  Malacca  and  its  in- 
terests, and  withal  a man  of  an  especially  unselfish, 
loving,  and  tender  nature,  considerate  to  an  unusual 
degree  of  the  happiness  and  comfort  of  those  about 
him.  Before  I had  been  here  many  hours  I saw 
that  he  was  the  light  of  a loving  home."'  He  can 
be  firm  and  prompt  when  occasion  requires  firm- 
ness, but  his  ordinary  rule  is  of  the  gentlest  and 
most  paternal  description,  so  that  from  the  Chinese 
he  has  won  the  name  of  “ Father,”  and  among  the 
Malays,  the  native  population,  English  rule,  as  ad- 
ministered by  him,  has  come  to  be  known  as  “the 
rule  of  the  just.”  The  family,  consisting  of  the 
Governor,  his,  wife,  and  two  daughters  just  grown 
up,  is  a very  charming  one,  and  their  quiet,  peace- 
ful life  gives  me  the  opportunity  which  so  rarely 
falls  to  the  lot  of  a traveler  of  becoming  really  in- 
timate with  them. 

The  Government  bungalow,  in  which  I spend 
most  of  my  time,  is  a comfortable  little  cottage, 
with  verandas  larger  than  itself.  In  the  front 
veranda,  festooned  with  trailers  and  orchids,  two 

* I should  not  have  reproduced  this  paragraph  of  my  letter  were  Captain 
Shaw  still  alive,  but  in  five  weeks  after  my  happy  visit  he  died  almost  sud- 
denly, to  the  indescribable  grief  of  his  family  and  of  the  people  of  Malacca, 
by  whom  he  was  greatly  beloved. 


THE  STADTHAUS. 


161 


Malay  military  policemen  are  always  on  guard,  and 
two  scornful-looking  Bengalis  in  white  trousers, 
white  short  robes,  with  sashes  of  crimson  silk 
striped  with  gold,  and  crimson-and-gold  flat  hats 
above  their  handsome  but  repellent  faces,  make  up 
the  visible  part  of  the  establishment.  One  of  these 
Bengalis  has  been  twice  to  Mecca,  at  an  expense 
of  ^40  on  each  visit,  and  on  Friday  appears  in  a 
rich  Hadji  suit,  in  which  he  goes  through  the  town, 
and  those  Mussulmen  who  are  not  Hadjii  bow 
down  to  him.  I saw  from  the  very  first  that  my 
project  of  visiting  the  native  States  was  not  smiled 
upon  at  Government  House. 

The  Government  bungalow  being  scarcely  large 
enough  for  the  Governor’s  family,  I am  lodged  in 
the  old  Dutch  Stadthaus,  formerly  the  residence  of 
the  Dutch  Governor,  and  which  has  enough  of  sol- 
itude and  faded  stateliness  to  be  fearsome,  or  at  the 
least  eerie,  to  a solitary  guest  like  myself,  to  whose 
imagination,  in  the  long,  dark  nights,  creeping 
Malays  or  pilfering  Chinamen  are  far  more  likely 
to  present  themselves  than  the  stiff  beauties  and 
formal  splendors  of  the  heyday  of  Dutch  ascendancy. 
The  Stadthaus,  which  stands  on  the  slope  of  the 
hill,  and  is  the  most  prominent  building  in  Malacca, 
is  now  used  as  the  Treasury,  Post  Office,  and  Gov- 
ernment offices  generally.  There  are  large  state 
reception-rooms,  including  a ball-room,  and  suites 
of  apartments  for  the  use  of  the  Governor  of  the 
Straits  Settlements,  the  Chief-Justice,  and  other 


162 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


high  officials,  on  their  visits  to  Malacca.  The 
Stadthaus,  at  its  upper  end  on  the  hill,  is  only  one 
story  high,  but  where  it  abuts  on  the  town  it  is 
three  and  even  four.  The  upper  part  is  built  round 
three  sides  of  a Dutch  garden,  and  a gallery  under 
the  tiled  veranda  runs  all  round.  A set  of  hand- 
some staircases  on  the  sea  side  leads  to  the  lawn- 
like hill  with  the  old  cathedral,  and  the  bungalows 
of  the  Governor  and  colonial  chaplain.  Stephanotis, 
passiflora,  tuberose,  alamanda,  Bougainvillea,  and 
other  trailers  of  gorgeous  colors,  climb  over  every- 
thing, and  make  the  night  heavy  with  their  odors. 
There  must  be  more  than  forty  rooms  in  this  old 
place,  besides  great  arched  corridors,  and  all  man- 
ner of  queer  staircases  and  corners.  Dutch  tiling 
and  angularities  and  conceits  of  all  kinds  abound. 

My  room  opens  on  one  side  upon  a handsome 
set  of  staircases  under  the  veranda,  and  on  the 
other  upon  a passage  and  staircase  with  several 
rooms  with  doors  of  communication,  and  has 
various  windows  opening  on  the  external  galleries. 
Like  most  European  houses  in  the  Peninsula,  it 
has  a staircase  which  leads  from  the  bedroom  to  a 
somewhat  grim,  brick-floored  room  below,  contain- 
ing a large  high  tub,  or  bath,  of  Shanghai  pottery, 
in  which  you  must  by  no  means  bathe,  as  it  is  found 
by  experience  that  to  take  the  capacious  dipper  and 
pour  water  upon  yourself  from  a height,  gives  afar 
more  refreshing  shock  than  immersion  when  the 
water  is  at  8o°  and  the  air  at  83°. 


SMOKING  THE  MOSQUITOS. 


A ST  A TEL  Y HABIT  A TION.  1 63 

The  worst  of  my  stately  habitation  is,  that  after 
four  in  the  afternoon  there  is  no  one  in  it  but  myself, 
unless  a Chinese  coolie,  who  has  a lair  somewhere, 
and  appears  in  my  room  at  all  sorts  of  unusual 
hours,  after  I think  I have  bolted  and  barred  every 
means  of  ingress.  However,  two  Malay  military 
policemen  patrol  the  verandas  outside  at  intervals 
all  night,  and  I have  the  comfort  of  imagining  that 
I hear  far  below  the  clank  of  the  British  sentries 
who  guard  the  Treasury.  In  the  early  morning 
my  eyes  always  open  on  the  Governor’s  handsome 
Mohammedan  servant  in  spotless  white  muslin  and 
red  head-dress  and  girdle,  bringing  a tray  with  tea 
and  bananas.  The  Chinese  coolie  who  appears 
mysteriously  attends  on  me,  and  acts  as  housemaid, 
our  communications  being  entirely  by  signs.  The 
mosquitoes  are  awful.  The  view  of  the  green  lawns, 
the  sleeping  sea,  the  motionless  forest  of  cocoa-palms 
along  the  shore,  the  narrow  stream  and  bridge,  and 
the  quaint  red-tiled  roofs  of  the  town,  is  very  charm- 
ing and  harmonious ; yet  I often  think,  if  these 
dreamy  days  went  on  into  months,,  that  I should 
welcome  an  earthquake  shock,  or  tornado,  or  jarring 
discord  of  some  rousing  kind,  to  break  the  dream 
produced  by  the  heated,  steamy,  fragrant  air,  and 
the  monotonous  silence. 

I have  very  little  time  for  writing  here,  and  even 
that  is  abridged  by  the  night  mosquitoes,  which  mus- 
ter their  forces  for  a desperate  attack  as  soon  as  I 
retire  to  the  Stadthaus  for  two  hours  of  quiet  before 


164 


TILE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


dinner,  so  I must  give  the  features  of  Malacca 
mainly  in  outline.  Having  written  this  sentence,  I 
am  compelled  to  say  that  the  feature  of  Malacca  is 
that  it  is  featureless  ! It  is  a land  where  it  is  “al- 
ways afternoon” — hot,  still,  dreamy.  Existence 
stagnates.  Trade  pursues  its  operations  invisibly. 
Commerce  hovers  far  off  on  the  shallow  sea.  The 
British  and  French  mail  steamers  give  the  port  a 
wide  offing.  It  has  no  politics,  little  crime,  rarely 
gets  even  two  lines  in  an  English  newspaper,  and 
does  nothing  toward  making  contemporary  history. 
The  Lieutenant-Governor  has  occupied  the  same 
post  for  eleven  years.  A company  of  soldiers  vege- 
tates in  quarters  in  a yet  sleepier  region  than  the 
town  itself.  Two  Chinese  steamers  make  it  a port 
of  call,  but,  except  that  they  bring  mails,  their  com- 
ings and  goings  are  of  no  interest  to  the  very  small 
English  part  of  the  population.  Lying  basking  in 
the  sun,  or  crawling  at  the  heads  of  crawling  oxen 
very  like  hairless  buffaloes,  or  leaning  over  the 
bridge  looking  at  nothing,  the  Malays  spend  their 
time  when  they  come  into  the  town,  their  very 
movements  making  the  lack  of  movement  more 
perceptible. 

The  half-breed  descendants  of  the  Portuguese, 
who  kept  up  a splendid  pomp  of  rule  in  the  days 
of  Francis  Xavier,  seem  to  take  an  endless  siesta 
behind  their  closely  covered  windows.  I have  never 
seen  an  Englishman  out  of  doors  except  Mr.  Hay- 
ward, the  active  superintendent  of  military  police, 


A TROPIC  DPP  AM. 


l65 

or  Mr.  Biggs,  who  preserves  his  health  and  ener- 
gies by  systematic  constitutionals.  Portuguese  and 
Dutch  rule  have  passed  away,  leaving,  as  their  chief 
monuments — the  first,  a ruined  cathedral,  and  a race 
of  half-breeds  ; and  the  last,  the  Stadthaus  and  a 
flat-faced  meeting-house.  A heavy  shower,  like  a 
“ thunder-plump,’’  takes  up  a part  of  the  afternoon, 
after  which  the  Governor’s  carriage,  with  servants 
in  scarlet  liveries,  rolls  slowly  out  of  Malacca,  and 
through  the  sago-palms  and  back  again.  If  aught 
else  which  is  European  breaks  the  monotony  of  the 
day  I am  not  aware  of  it.  The  streets  have  no 
particular  features,  though  one  cannot  but  be  aware 
that  a narrow  stream  full  of  boats,  and  spanned  by 
a handsome  bridge,  divides  the  town  into  two  por- 
tions, and  that  a handsome  clock-tower  (both  tower 
and  bridge  erected  by  some  wealthy  Chinese  mer- 
chants) is  a salient  object  below  the  Stadthaus. 
Trees,  trailers,  fruits,  smother  the  houses,  and  blos- 
som and  fruit  all  the  year  round  ; old  leaves,  young- 
leaves,  buds,  blossom,  and  fruit,  all  appearing  at 
once.  The  mercury  rarely  falls  below  790  or  rises 
above  84°.  The  softest  and  least  perceptible  of 
land  and  sea  breezes  blow  alternately  at  stated 
hours.  The  nights  are  very  still.  The  days  are  a 
tepid  dream.  Since  I arrived  not  a leaf  has  stirred, 
not  a bird  has  sung,  the  tides  ebb  and  flow  in  list- 
less and  soundless  ripples.  Far  off,  on  the  shallow 
sea,  phantom  ships  hover  and  are  gone,  and  on  an 
indefinite  horizon  a blurred  ocean  blends  with  a 


1 66 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


blurred  sky.  On  Mount  Ophir  heavy  eloud-masses 
lie  always  motionless.  The  still,  heavy,  fragrant 
nights  pass  with  no  other  sounds  than  the  aggressive 
hum  of  mosquitoes  and  the  challenge  of  the  sentries. 
But  through  the  stormy  days  and  the  heavy  nights 
Nature  is  always  busy  in  producing  a rapidity  and 
profusion  of  growth  which  would  turn  Malacca  into 
a jungle  were  it  not  for  axe  and  billhook,  but  her 
work  does  not  jar  upon  the  general  silence.  Yet 
with  all  this  indefiniteness,  dreaminess,  featureless- 
ness, indolence,  and  silence,  of  which  I have  at- 
tempted to  convey  an  idea,  Malacca  is  very  fasci- 
nating, and  no  city  in  the  world,  except  Canton, 
will  leave  so  vivid  an  impression  upon  me,  though 
it  may  be  but  of  a fragrant  tropic  dream  and  noth- 
inof  more. 

Yesterday  Mrs.  Biggs  took  me  a drive  through 
Malacca  and  its  forest  environs.  It  was  delightful ; 
every  hour  adds  to  the  fascination  which  this  place 
has  for  me.  I thought  my  tropic  dreams  were  over, 
when  seven  years  ago  I saw  the  summit  peaks  of 
Oahu  sink  sunset  flushed  into  a trolden  sea,  but  I 
am  dreaming  it  again.  The  road  crosses  the  bridge 
over  the  narrow  stream,  which  is,  in  fact,  the  road- 
way of  a colored  and  highly  picturesque  street,  and 
at  once  enters  the  main  street  of  Malacca,  which  is 
parallel  to  the  sea.  On  the  sea  side  each  house 
consists  of  three  or  four  divisions,  one  behind  the 
other,  each  roof  being  covered  with  red  tiles.  The 
rearmost  division  is  usually  built  over  the  sea,  on 


CHINESE  WEALTH  AND  ASCENDENCY.  1O7 

piles.  In  the  middle  of  each  of  the  three  front 
divisions  there  is  a courtyard.  The  room  through 
which  you  enter  from  the  street  always  has  an  open 
door,  through  which  you  see  houses  showing  a high 
degree  of  material  civilization,  lofty  rooms,  hand- 
some altars  opposite  the  doors,  massive,  carved 
ebony  tables,  and  carved  ebony  chairs  with  marble 
seats  and  backs  standing  against  the  walls,  hanging 
pictures  of  the  kind  called  in  Japan  kakemono , and 
rich  bronzes  and  fine  pieces  of  porcelain  on  ebony 
brackets.  At  night,  when  these  rooms  are  lighted 
up  with  eight  or  ten  massive  lamps,  the  appearance 
is  splendid.  These  are  the  houses  of  Chinese  mer- 
chants of  the  middle  class. 

And  now  I must  divulge  the  singular  fact  that 
Malacca  is  to  most  intents  and  purposes  a Chinese 
city.  The  Dutch,  as  I wrote,  have  scarcely  left  a 
trace.  The  Portuguese,  indolent,  for  the  most  part 
poor,  and  lowered  by  native  marriages,  are  without 
influence,  a most  truly  stagnant  population,  hardly 
to  be  taken  into  account.  Their  poor-looking 
houses  resemble  those  of  Lisbon.  The  English, 
except  in  so  far  as  relates  to  the  administration  of 
government,  are  nowhere,  though  it  is  under  our 
equitable  rule  that  the  queerly  mixed  population  of 
Chinese,  Portuguese,  half-breeds,  Malays,  Confu- 
cianists,  Buddhists,  Tauists,  Romanists,  and  Mo- 
hammedans “ enjoy  great  quietness.”*  Of  the 


* By  the  census  of  18S1  the  resident  European  population  of  the  Settle- 
ment of  Malacca  consists  of  23  males  and  9 females,  a “grand”  total  of 


i6S 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


population  of  the  town  the  majority  are  said  to  be 
Chinese,  and  still  their  crowded  junks  are  rolling 
down  on  the  north-east  monsoon.  As  I remarked 
before,  the  coasting  trade  of  the  Straits  of  Malacca 
is  in  their  hands,  and  to  such  an  extent  have  they 
absorbed  the  trade  of  this  colony,  that  I am  told 
there  is  not  a resident  British  merchant  in  Malacca. 
And  it  is  not,  as  elsewhere,  that  they  come,  make 
money,  and  then  return  to  settle  in  China,  but  they 
come  here  with  their  wives  and  families,  buy  or 
build  these  handsome  houses,  as  well  as  large  bunga- 
lows in  the  neighboring  cocoa-groves,  own  most  of 
the  plantations  up  the  country,  and  have  obtained 
the  finest  site  on  the  hill  behind  the  town  for  their 
stately  tombs.  Every  afternoon  their  carriages  roll 
out  into  the  country,  conveying  them  to  their  sub- 
stantial bungalows  to  smoke  and  gamble.  They 
have  fabulous  riches  in  diamonds,  pearls,  sapphires, 
rubies,  and  emeralds.  They  love  Malacca,  and  take 

32  ! The  Eurasian  population,  mainly  of  Portuguese  mixed  blood,  is  2,213. 
The  Chinese  numbers  19,741,  4,020  being  females.  The  Malay  population 
is  67,488.  the  females  being  2,000  in  excess  of  the  males,  the  Tamils  or 
Klings  are  1,781,  the  Arabs  227,  the  Aborigines  of  the  Peninsula  308,  the 
Javanese  399,  the  Boyanese  212, and  the  Jawi-Pekans  867.  Besides  these 
there  are  stray  Achinese,  Africans,  Anamese,  Bengalis,  Bugis,  Dyaks,  Manil- 
amen,  Siamese,  and  Singhalese,  numbering  174.  The  total  population  of  the 
territory  is  93.579,  viz.,  52,059  males  and  41,520  females,  an  increase  in  ten 
years  of  15,823.  The  decrease  in  the  number  of  resident  Europeans  is  31.9 
percent.  In  “ natives  of  India  ” 42  per  cent.,  and  in  “other  nationalities’’ 
4S.9  per  cent.  On  the  other  hand  the  Chinese  population  has  increased  by 
6,259  or  46.4  per  cent , and  the  Malays  by  11,264.  or  19.3  per  cent.  The  town 
of  Malacca  contains  5,538  houses,  and  the  country  districts  11,177.  The  area 
of  the  settlement  is  640  square  miles,  and  the  density  of  the  population  146  to 
the  square  mile  ; only  twelve  of  the  population  are  lunatics. 


HABITS  OF  THE  CHINESE. 


169 


a pride  in  beautifying  it.  They  have  fashioned 
their  dwellings  upon  the  model  of  those  in  Canton, 
but  whereas  cogent  reasons  compel  the  rich  China- 
man at  home  to  conceal  the  evidences  of  his  wealth, 
he  glories  in  displaying  it  under  the  security  of 
British  rule.  The  upper  class  of  the  Chinese  mer- 
chants live  in  immense  houses  within  walled  gardens. 
The  wives  of  all  are  secluded,  and  inhabit  the  back 
regions  and  have  no  share  in  the  remarkably  “good 
time”  which  the  men  seem  to  have. 

Along  with  their  industrious  habits  and  their 
character  for  fair  trading,  the  Chinese  have  brought 
to  Malacca  gambling  and  opium-smoking.  One- 
seventh  of  the  whole  quantity  of  opium  exported 
from  India  to  China  is  intercepted  and  consumed 
in  the  Straits  Settlements,  and  the  Malacca  Gov- 
ernment makes  a large  revenue  from  it.  The 
Chinaman  who  “farms  the  opium” — i.e.,  who  pur- 
chases from  the  Government  the  exclusive  right  to 
sell  it — pays  for  his  monopoly  about  ^50  per  day. 
It  must  be  remembered,  however,  that  every  man 
who  smokes  opium  is  not  what  we  understand  by 
an  “ opium-smoker,”  and  that  between  the  man  who 
takes  his  daily  pipe  of  opium  after  his  supper, 
and  the  unhappy  opium-slave  who  reduces  himself 
to  imbecility  in  such  dens  as  I saw  in  Canton,  there 
is  just  as  much  difference  as  there  is  in  England 
between  the  “ moderate  drinker  ” and  the  “ habit- 
ual drunkard.”  Slavery  is  prohibited  in  Malacca, 
and  slaves  from  the  neighboring  State  fly  for  free- 


I JO  THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

dom  to  the  shelter  of  the  British  flag  : but  there  is 
reason  to  suppose  that  the  numerous  women  in  the 
households  of  the  Chinese  merchants,  though  called 
servants,  are  persons  who  have  been  purchased  in 
China,  and  are  actually  held  in  bondage.  Apart 
from  these  exceptions,  the  Chinese  population  is  a 
valuable  one,  and  is,  in  its  upper  classes,  singularly 
public-spirited,  law-abiding,  and  strongly  attached 
to  British  rule. 

I saw  no  shops  except  those  for  the  sale  of  fish, 
fruit,  and  coarse  native  pottery,  but  doubtless  most 
things  which  are  suited  to  the  wants  of  the  mixed 
population  can  be  had  in  the  bazaars.  As  we  drove 
out  of  the  town  the  houses  became  fewer  and  the 
trees  denser,  with  mosques  here  and  there  among 
them,  and  in  a few  minutes  we  were  in  the  great 
dark  forest  of  cocoa,  betel,  and  sago  palms,  awfully 
solemn  and  oppressive  in  the  hot  stillness  of  the 
evening.  Every  sight  was  new,  for  though  I have 
seen  the  cocoa-palm  before,  the  palm-fringes  of  the 
coral  islands,  with  their  feathery  plumes  have  little 
kinship  with  the  dark,  crowded  cocoa-forests  of 
Malacca,  with  their  endless  vistas  and  mysterious 
gloom.  These  forests  are  intersected  by  narrow, 
muddy  streams,  suggestive  of  alligators,  up  which 
you  can  go  in  canoes  if  you  lie  down,  and  are  con- 
tent with  the  yet  darker  shade  produced  by  the 
nipah,  a species  of  stemless  palm,  of  which  the 
poorer  natives  make  their  houses,  and  whose  mag- 
nificent fronds  are  often  from  twenty  to  twenty-two 


THE  MALACCA  JUNGLE. 


I 71 

feet  in  length.  The  soft  carriage  road  passes 
through  an  avenue  of  trees  of  great  girth  and  a 
huge  spread  of  foliage,  bearing  glorious  yellow 
blossoms  of  delicious  fragrance.  Jungles  of  sugar- 
cane often  form  the  foreground  of  dense  masses  of 
palms,  then  a jungle  of  pine-apples  surprises  one, 
then  a mass  of  lianas,  knotted  and  tangled,  with 
stems  like  great  cables,  and  red  blossoms  as  large 
as  breakfast  cups.  The  huge  trees  which  border 
the  road  have  their  stems  and  branches  nearly  hid- 
den by  orchids  and  epiphytes — chiefly  that  lovely 
and  delicate  one  whose  likeness  to  a hovering  dove 
won  for  it  the  the  name  of  the  “ Flower  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,”  an  orchid  ( Pcristeria  data ) which 
lives  but  for  a day,  but  in  its  brief  life  fills  the  air  with 
fragrance.  Then  the  trees  change,  the  long  tresses  of 
an  autumn-flowering  orchid  fall  from  their  branches 
over  the  road  ; dead  trees  appear  transformed  into 
living  beauty  by  multitudes  of  ferns,  among  which 
the  dark-green  shining  fronds  of  the  Asplenium 
nidus , measuring  four  feet  in  length,  specially  de-* 
light  the  eye  ; huge  tamarinds  and  mimosa  add  the 
grace  of  their  feathery  foliage  ; the  banana  unfolds 
its  gigantic  fronds  above  its  golden  fruitage ; 
clumps  of  the  betel  or  areca  palms,  with  their 
slender  and  absolutely  straight  shafts,  make  the  co- 
coa-palms look  like  clumsy  giants  ; the  gutta-percha, 
india  rubber,  and  other  varieties  of  ficus,  increase 
the  forest  gloom  by  the  brown  velvety  undersides 
of  their  shining  dark-green  leafage  ; then  comes  the 


TILE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


I 72 

cashew-nut  tree,  with  its  immense  spread  of  branches, 
and  its  fruit  an  apple  with  a nut  below  ; and  the 
beautiful  bread-fruit,  with  its  green  “ cantalupe 
melons,”  nearly  ripe,  and  the  gigantic  jak  and 
durion,  and  fifty  others,  children  of  tropic  heat  and 
moisture,  in  all  the  promise  of  perpetual  spring, 
and  the  fulfillment  of  endless  summer,  the  beauty  of 
blossom  and  the  bounteousness  of  an  unfailing 
fruitage  crowning  them  through  all  the  year.  At 
their  feet  is  a tangle  of  fungi,  mosses,  ferns,  trailers, 
lilies,  nibongs,  reeds,  canes,  rattans,  a dense  and 
lavish  undergrowth,  in  which  reptiles,  large  and 
small,  riot  most  congenially,  and  in  which  broods 
of  mosquitoes  are  hourly  hatched,  to  the  misery  of 
man  and  beast. 

Occasionally  a small  and  comparatively  cleared 
spot  appears,  with  a crowded  cluster  of  graves,  with 
a pawn-shaped  stone  at  the  head  of  each,  and  the 
beautiful  Frangipani,'”'  the  “Temple  Flower”  of 
Singhalese  Buddhism,  but  the  “Grave  Flower”  of 
Malay  Mohammedanism,  sheds  its  ethereal  fra- 
grance among  the  tombs.  The  dead  lie  lonely  in 
the  forest  shade,  under  the  feathery  palm-fronds, 
but  the  living  are  not  far  to  seek. 

It  is  strange  that  I should  have  written  thus  far 
and  have  said  nothing  at  all  about  the  people  from 
whom  this  Peninsula  derives  its  name,  who  have 
cost  us  not  a little  blood  and  some  treasure,  with 


* Plumieria  sp. 


MALAY  VILLAGES. 


1 73 


whom  our  relations  are  by  no  means  well  defined  or 
satisfactory,  and  who,  though  not  the  actual  abo- 
rigines of  the  country,  have  at  least  that  claim  to 
be  considered  its  rightful  owners  which  comes  from 
long  centuries  of  possession.  In  truth,  between 
English  rule,  the  solid  tokens  of  Dutch  possession, 
the  quiet  and  indolent  Portuguese,  the  splendid 
memories  of  Francis  Xavier,  and  the  numerical  pre- 
ponderance, success,  and  wealth  of  the  Chinese,  I 
had  absolutely  forgotten  the  Malays,  even  though 
a dark-skinned  military  policeman,  with  a gliding, 
snake-like  step,  whom  I know  to  be  a Malay,  brings 
my  afternoon  tea  to  the  Stadthaus  ! Of  them  I 
may  write  more  hereafter.  They  are  symbolized 
to  people’s  minds  in  general  by  the  dagger  called  a 
kris,  and  by  the  peculiar  form  of  frenzy  which  has 
given  rise  to  the  phrase  “ running  amuck.” 

The  great  cocoa  groves  are  by  no  means  solitary, 
for  they  contain  the  kampongs,  or  small  raised  vil- 
lages of  the  Malays.  Though  the  Malay  builds  his 
dismal  little  mosques  on  the  outskirts  of  Malacca, 
he  shuns  the  town,  and  prefers  a life  of  freedom  in 
his  native  jungles,  or  on  the  mysterious  rivers  which 
lose  themselves  among  the  mangrove  swamps.  So 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Malacca  these  kampongs  are 
scattered  through  the  perpetual  twilight  of  the  for- 
est. They  do  not  build  the  houses  very  close 
together,  and  whether  of  rich  or  poor,  the  architect- 
ure is  the  same.  Each  dwelling  is  of  planed  wood 
or  plaited  palm  leaves,  the  roof  is  high  and  steep, 


174 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


the  eaves  are  deep,  and  the  whole  rests  on  a grid- 
iron platform,  supported  on  posts  from  five  to  ten 
feet  high,  and  approached  by  a ladder  in  the  poorer 
houses,  and  a flight  of  steps  in  the  richer.  In  the 
ordinary  houses  mats  are  laid  here  and  there  over 
the  gridiron,  besides  the  sleeping  mats ; and  this  plan 
of  an  open  floor,  though  trying  to  unaccustomed 
Europeans,  has  various  advantages.  As,  for  in- 
stance, it  insures  ventilation,  and  all  debris  can  be 
thrown  through  it,  to  be  consumed  by  the  fire  which 
is  lighted  every  evening  beneath  the  house  to  smoke 
away  the  mosquitoes.  A baboon,  trained  to  climb 
the  cocoa  palms  and  throw  down  the  nuts,  is  an 
inmate  of  most  of  the  houses. 

The  people  lead  strange  and  uneventful  lives. 
The  men  are  not  inclined  to  much  effort  except  in 
fishing  or  hunting,  and,  where  they  possess  rice 
land,  in  ploughing  for  rice.  They  are  said  to  be 
quiet,  temperate,  jealous,  suspicious,  some  say 
treacherous,  and  most  bigoted  Mussulmen.  The 
women  are  very  small,  keep  their  dwellings  very 
tidy,  and  weave  mats  and  baskets  from  reeds  and 
palm  leaves.  They  are  clothed  in  cotton  or  silk 
from  the  ankles  to  the  throat,  and  the  men,  even  in 
the  undress  of  their  own  homes,  usually  wear  the 
sarong , a picturesque  tightish  petticoat,  consisting 
of  a wide  piece  of  stuff  kept  on  by  a very  ingenious 
knot.  They  are  not  savages  in  the  ordinary  sense, 
for  they  have  a complete  civilization  of  their  own, 
and  their  legal  system  is  derived  from  the  Koran. 


COSTUME  AND  ORNAMENT. 


175 


They  are  dark  brown,  with  rather  low  foreheads, 
dark  and  somewhat  expressionless  eyes,  high  cheek- 
bones, flattish  noses  with  broad  nostrils,  and  wide 
mouths  with  thick  lips.  Their  hair  is  black,  straight 
and  shining,  and  the  women  dress  it  in  a plain  knot 
at  the  back  of  the  head.  To  my  thinking,  both 
sexes  are  decidedly  ugly,  and  there  is  a coldness 
and  aloofness  of  manner  about  them  which  chills  one 
even  where  they  are  on  friendly  terms  with  Euro- 
peans, as  the  people  whom  we  visited  were  with 
Mrs.  Biggs. 

The  women  were  lounging  about  the  houses, 
some  cleaning  fish,  others  pounding  rice  ; but  they 
do  not  care  for  work,  and  the  little  money  which 
they  need  for  buying  clothes  they  can  make  by  sell- 
ing mats,  or  jungle  fruits.  Their  lower  garment, 
or  sarong , reaching  from  the  waist  to  the  ankles,  is 
usually  of  red  cotton  of  a small  check,  with  stripes 
in  the  front,  above  which  is  worn  a loose  sleeved 
garment,  called  a kabaya,  reaching  to  the  knees, 
and  clasped  in  front  with  silver  or  gold,  and  fre- 
quently with  diamond  ornaments.  They  also  wear 
gold  or  silver  pins  in  their  hair,  and  the  sarong  is 
girt  or  held  up  by  a clasp  of  enormous  size,  and 
often  of  exquisite  workmanship,  in  the  poorer  class 
of  silver,  and  in  the  richer  of  gold  jeweled  with 
diamonds  and  rubies.  The  sarong  of  the  men 
does  not  reach  much  below  the  knee  and  displays 
loose  trousers.  They  wear  above  it  a short-sleeved 
jacket,  the  bajn , beautifully  made,  and  often  very 


176  THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

tastefully  decorated  in  fine  needlework,  and  with 
small  buttons  on  each  side,  not  for  use,  however.  I 
have  seen  one  Malay  who  wore  about  twenty  but- 
tons, each  one  a diamond  solitaire!  The  costume 
is  completed  by  turbans  or  red  handkerchiefs  tied 
round  their  heads. 

In  these  forest  kampongs  the  children,  who  are 
very  pretty,  are  not  encumbered  by  much  clothing, 
specially  the  boys.  All  the  dwellings  are  pictures- 
que, and  those  of  the  richer  Malays  are  beautiful. 
They  rigidly  exclude  all  ornaments  which  have 
“ the  likeness  of  anything  in  heaven  or  earth,”  but 
their  arabesques  are  delicately  carved,  and  the 
verses  from  the  Koran,  which  occasionally  run 
under  the  eaves,  being  in  the  Arabic  character,  are 
decidedly  decorative.  Their  kampongs  are  small, 
and  they  have  little  of  the  gregarious  instinct ; 
they  are  said  to  live  happily,  and  to  have  a con- 
siderable amount  of  domestic  affection.  Captain 
Shaw  likes  the  Malays,  and  the  verdict  on  them 
here  is  that  they  are  chaste,  gentle,  honest  and 
hospitable,  but  that  they  tell  lies,  and  that  their 
“ honor  ” is  so  sensitive  that  blood  alone  can  wipe 
out  some  insults  to  it.  They  seclude  their  women 
to  a great  extent,  and  under  ordinary  circumstances 
the  slightest  courtesy  shown  by  a European  man 
to  a Malay  woman  would  be  a deadly  insult ; and 
at  the  siorht  of  a man  in  the  distance  the  women 

o 

hastily  cover  their  faces. 

There  is  a large  mosque  with  a minaret  just  on 


RELIGION  AND  LAW.  177 

the  outskirts  of  Malacca,  and  we  passed  several 
smaller  ones  in  the  space  of  three  miles.  Scarcely 
any  kampong  is  so  small  as  not  to  have  a mosque. 
The  Malays  are  bigoted,  and  for  the  most  part 
ignorant  and  fanatical  Mohammedans,  and  I firmly 
believe  that  the  Englishman  whom  they  respect 
most  is  only  a little  removed  from  being  “a  dog  of 
an  infidel.”  They  are  really  ruled  by  the  law  of 
the  Koran,  and  except  when  the  Imaum,  who  in- 
terprets the  law,  decides  (which  is  very  rarely  the 
case)  contrary  to  equity,  the  British  magistrate  con- 
firms his  decision.  In  fact,  Mohammedan  law  and 
custom  rule  in  civil  cases,  and  the  Imaum  of  the 
mosque  assists  the  judge  with  his  advice.  The 
Malays  highly  appreciate  the  manner  in  which  law 
is  administered  under  English  rule,  and  the  security 
they  enjoy  in  their  persons  and  property,  so  that 
they  can  acquire  property  without  risk,  and  accu- 
mulate and  wear  the  costliest  jewels  even  in  the 
streets  of  Malacca  without  fear  of  robbery  or  spolia- 
tion. This  is  by  no  means  to  write  that  the  Malays 
love  us,  for  I doubt  whether  the  entente  cordiale 
between  any  of  the  dark-skinned  Oriental  races 
and  ourselves  is  more  than  skin  deep.  It  is  possi- 
ble that  they  prefer  being  equitably  taxed  by  us, 
with  the  security  which  our  rule  brings,  to  being 
plundered  by  native  princes,  but  we  do  not  under- 
stand them,  or  they  us,  and  where  they  happen  to 
be  Mohammedans,  there  is  a gulf  of  contempt  and 
dislike  on  their  part  which  is  rarely  bridged  by 
12 


178 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


amenities  on  ours.  The  pilgrimage  to  Mecca  is  the 
great  object  of  ambition.  Many  Malays,  in  spite  of 
its  expense  and  difficulties,  make  it  twice,  and  even 
three  times.  We  passed  three  women  clothed  in 
white  from  head  to  foot,  their  drapery  veiling  them 
closely,  leaving  holes  for  their  eyes.  These  had 
just  returned  from  Mecca. 

The  picturesqueness  of  the  drive  home  was  much 
heightened  by  the  darkness,  and  the  brilliancy  of 
the  fires  underneath  the  Malay  houses.  The  great 
gray  buffalo  which  they  use  for  various  purposes — 
and  which,  though  I have  written  gray,  is  as  often 
pink — has  a very  thin  and  sensitive  skin,  and  is 
almost  maddened  by  mosquitoes ; and  we  frequently 
passed  fires  lighted  in  the  jungle,  with  these  singu- 
lar beasts  standing  or  lying  close  to  them  in  the 
smoke  on  the  leeward  side,  while  Malays  in  red 
sarongs  and  handkerchiefs,  and  pretty  brown  chil- 
dren scarcely  clothed  at  all,  lounged  in  the  firelight. 
Then  Chinese  lamps  and  lanterns,  and  the  sound 
of  what  passes  for  music ; then  the  refinement  and 
brightness  of  the  Government  bungalow,  and  at 
ten  o’clock  my  chair  with  three  bearers,  and  the 
solitude  of  the  lonely  Stadthaus.  I.  L.  B. 


LETTER  X. 


Stadthaus,  Malacca,  Jan.  23. 

Malacca  fascinates  me  more  and  more  daily. 
There  is,  among  other  things,  a mediaevalism  about 
it.  The  noise  of  the  modern  world  reaches  it  only 
in  the  faintest  echoes  ; its  sleep  is  almost  dreamless, 
its  sensations  seem  to  come  out  of  books  read  in 
childhood.  Thus,  the  splendid  corpse  of  a royal 
tiger  has  been  brought  in  in  a bullock-cart,  the 
driver  claiming  the  reward  of  fifteen  dollars,  and 
its  claws  were  given  to  me.  It  was  trapped  only 
six  miles  off,  and  its  beautiful  feline  body  had  not 
had  time  to  stiffen.  Even  when  dead,  with  its 
fierce  head  and  cruel  paws  hanging  over  the  end 
of  the  cart,  it  was  not  an  object  to  be  disrespected. 
The  same  reward  is  offered  for  a rhinoceros,  five 
dollars  for  a crocodile  (alligator  ?)  and  five  dollars 
for  a boa-constrictor  or  python.  Lately,  at  five  in 
the  morning,  a black  tiger  (panther  ?)  came  down 
the  principal  street  of  Malacca,  tore  a Chinamen  in 
pieces,  and  then,  scared  by  a posse  of  police  in  pur- 
suit, jumped  through  a window  into  a house. 
Every  door  in  the  city  was  barred,  as  the  rumor 
spread  like  wildfire.  The  policemen  very  boldly 
entered  the  house,  but  the  animal  pinned  the  Malay 

179 


i8o 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


corporal  to  the  wall.  The  second  policeman,  a 
white  man,  alas  ! ran  away.  The  third,  a Malay, 
at  the  risk  of  his  life,  went  close  up  to  the  tiger, 
shot  him,  and  beat  him  over  the  head  with  the  butt 
of  his  rifle,  which  made  the  beast  let  go  the  cor- 
poral and  turn  on  him,  but  fortunately  he  had 
scarcely  got  hold  of  him  when  he  fell  dead.  The 
corporal  is  just  coming  out  of  hospital,  almost  com- 
pletely paralyzed,  to  be  taken  care  of  for  the  rest  of 
his  life,  and  the  man  who  rescued  him  has  got  pro- 
motion and  a pension.  A short  time  ago  a fine 
young  tiger  was  brought  alive  to  Captain  Shaw, 
and  he  ordered  a proper  cage  to  be  made,  in  which 
to  send  him  to  England,  telling  Babu,  the  “double 
Hadji,”  to  put  it  into  the  “godown”  in  its  bamboo 
cage  ; but  the  man  put  it  into  the  kitchen,  and  in 
the  morning  the  cage  was  found  broken  into  pieces, 
the  kitchen  shutters  torn  down,  and  the  tiger  gone  ! 
There  was  a complete  panic  in  Malacca^  people 
kept  their  houses  shut,  and  did  not  dare  to  go  out 
even  on  business,  and  not  only  was  the  whole  po- 
lice force  turned  out  in  pursuit,  but  the  English 
garrison.  It  was  some  days  before  the  scare  sub- 
sided and  the  people  believed  that  the  beast  had 
escaped  to  its  natural  home  in  the  jungle. 

A tropical  thunderstorm  of  the  most  violent  kind 
occurred  yesterday,  when  I was  quite  alone  in  the 
Stadthaus.  The  rain  fell  in  sheets,  deluges,  streams, 
and  the  lightning  flashed  perfectly  blue  through  a 
“ darkness  which  could  be  felt.”  There  is  a sort  of 


THE  CHINESE  NEW  YEAR. 


1 8 1 


grandeur  about  this  old  Dutch  Stadthaus,  with  its 
tale  of  two  centuries.  Its  smooth  lawns,  sloping 
steeply  to  the  sea,  are  now  brilliant  with  the  gaudy 
parrot-like  blossoms  of  the  “ flame  of  the  forest,” 
the  gorgeous  Poinciana  Regia,  with  which  they  are 
studded.  Malacca  is  such  a rest  after  the  crowds 
of  Japan  and  the  noisy  hurry  of  China!  Its  end- 
less afternoon  remains  unbroken  except  by  the 
dreamy,  colored,  slow-moving  Malay  life  which 
passes  below  the  hill.  There  is  never  any  hurry 
or  noise. 

So  had  I written  without  prescience  ! The  night 
of  the  awful  silence  which  succeeded  the  thunder- 
storm was  also  the  eve  of  the  Chinese  N ew  Y ear,  and 
Captain  Shaw  gave  permission  for  “ fireworks  ” from 
7 p.  m.  till  midnight.  The  term  “fireworks”  re- 
ceived a most  liberal  construction.  The  noise  was 
something  awful,  and  as  it  came  into  the  lonely 
Stadthaus,  and  red,  blue,  crimson,  and  greenish- 
yellow  glares  at  short  intervals  lighted  up  the  pict- 
uresque Malacca  steam  and  its  blue  and  yellow 
houses,  with  their  steep  red-tiled  roofs  and  balco- 
nies and  quaint  projections,  and  the  streets  were 
traced  in  fire  and  smoke,  while  crackers,  squibs,  and 
rockets  went  off  in  hundreds,  and  cannon,  petards, 
and  gingalls  were  fired  incessantly,  and  gongs, 
drums,  and  tom-toms  were  beaten,  the  sights,  and 
the  ceaseless,  tremendous,  universal  din  made  a re- 
hearsal of  the  final  assault  on  a city  in  old  days. 
At  i a.  m.,  every  house  being  decorated  and  illu- 


182 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


minated,  the  Chinese  men  began  to  make  their  New 
Year’s  calls,  and  at  six  the  din  began  again.  After 
breakfast  the  Governor  drove  out  in  state  to  visit 
the  leading  Chinese  merchants,  with  whom  he  is  on 
terms  of  the  most  cordial  amity,  and  at  each  house 
was  offered  two  dishes  of  cakes,  twelve  dishes  of 
candied  and  preserved  fruits,  mandarin  tea  (the 
price  of  this  luxury  is  from  25s.  to  45s.  a pound), 
and  champagne  from  the  finest  Rhenish  vineyards ! 
At  eleven  all  the  Chinese  children  came  forth  in 
carriages  shaped  like  boats,  turned  up  at  both  ends, 
painted  red  and  yellow,  and  with  white-fringed 
canopies  over  them.  These  were  drawn  by  serv- 
ants, and  in  the  case  of  the  wealthy,  a train  of  serv- 
ants accompanied  each  carriage.  It  was  a sight 
worthy  of  a fabled  age.  The  wealth  of  the  East  in 
all  its  gorgeousness  was  poured  out  upon  these 
dignified  and  solemn  infants,  who  wore  coronals  of 
gold  and  diamonds,  stuffs  of  cloth  of  gold  brocade, 
and  satin  sewn  with  pearls,  and  whose  cloth-of-gold 
shoes  flashed  with  diamonds  ! 

During  the  morning  four  children  of  a rich 
Chinese  merchant,  attended  by  a train  of  Chinese 
and  Malay  servants,  came  to  see  Mrs.  Shaw.  There 
were  a boy  and  girl  of  five  and  six  years  old,  and 
two  younger  children.  A literal  description  of 
their  appearance  reads  like  fiction.  The  girl  wore 
a yellow  petticoat  of  treble  satin  (mandarin  yellow) 
with  broad  box  plaits  in  front  and  behind,  ex- 
quisitely embroidered  with  flowers  in  shades  of 


GOLD  AND  GEMS. 


183 

blue  silk,  with  narrow  box  plaits  between,  with  a 
trail  of  blue  silk  flowers  on  each.  Over  this  there 
was  a short  robe  of  crimson  brocaded  silk,  with  a 
broad  border  of  cream-white  satin,  with  the  same 
exquisite  floral  embroidery  *in  shades  of  blue  silk. 
Above  this  was  a tippet  of  three  rows  of  embroid- 
ered lozenge-shaped  “ tabs  ” of  satin.  The  child 
wore  a crown  on  her  head,  the  basis  of  which  was 
black  velvet.  At  the  top  was  an  aigrette  of  dia- 
monds of  the  purest  water,  the  centre  one  as  large 
as  a sixpenny-piece.  Solitaires  flashing  blue  flames 
blazed  all  over  the  cap,  and  the  front  was  orna- 
mented with  a dragon  in  fine  filigree  work  in  red 
Malay  gold  set  with  diamonds.  I fear  to  be  thought 
guilty  of  exaggeration  when  I write  that  this  child 
wore  seven  necklaces,  all  of  gorgeous  beauty.  The 
stones  were  all  cut  in  facets  at  the  back,  and  highly 
polished,  and  their  beauty  was  enhanced  by  the 
good  taste  and  skilful  workmanship  of  the  setting. 
The  first  necklace  was  of  diamonds  set  as  roses  and 
crescents,  some  of  them  very  large,  and  all  of  great 
brilliancy  ; the  second  of  emeralds,  a few  of  which 
were  as  large  as  acorns,  but  spoilt  by  being  pierced ; 
the  third  of  pearls  set  whole  ; the  fourth  of  hollow 
filigree  beads  in  red,  burned  gold ; the  fifth  of  sap- 
phires and  diamonds  ; the  sixth  a number  of  finely 
worked  chains  of  gold  with  a pendant  of  a gold 
filigree  fish  set  with  diamonds ; the  seventh,  what 
they  all  wear,  a massive  gold  chain,  which  looked 
heavy  enough  even  by  itself  to  weigh  down  the 


184 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


fragile  little  wearer,  from  which  depended  a gold 
shield,  on  which  the  Chinese  characters  forming 
the  child’s  name  were  raised  in  rubies,  with  fishes 
and  flowers  in  diamonds  round  it,  and  at  the  back  a 
god  in  rubies  similarly  surrounded.  Magnificent 
diamond  ear-rings  and  heavy  gold  bracelets  com- 
pleted the  display. 

And  all  this  weight  of  splendor,  valued  at  the  very 
least  at  $40,000,  was  carried  by  a frail  human  mite 
barely  four  feet  high,  with  a powdered  face,  gen- 
tle, pensive  expression,  and  quiet  grace  of  man- 
ner, who  came  forward  and  most  winsomely  shook 
hands  with  us,  as  did  all  the  other  grave  gentle 
mites.  They  were  also  loaded  with  gold  and  dia- 
monds. Some  sugar-plums  fell  on  the  floor,  and  as 
the  eldest  girl  stooped  to  pick  them  up,  diamond 
solitaires  fell  out  of  her  hair,  which  were  gathered 
up  by  her  attendants  as  if  they  were  used  to  such 
occurrences.  Whenever  she  moved  her  diamonds 
flashed,  scintillated,  and  gave  forth  their  blue  light. 
Then  came  the  children  of  the  richest  Chinaman  in 
Malacca,  but  the  little  gentle  creatures  were  moth- 
erless, and  mourning  for  a mother  lasts  three  years, 
so  they  were  dressed  in  plain  blue  and  white,  and 
as  ornaments  wore  only  very  beautiful  sapphires 
and  diamonds  set  in  silver. 

Do  not  suppose  that  the  Chinese  New  Year  is  a 
fixed,  annual  holiday  lasting  a day,  as  in  Scotland, 
and  to  a minor  extent  in  England.  In  Canton  a 
month  ago  active  preparations  were  being  made  for 


NEW  YEAR  REJOICINGS. 


185 


it,  and  in  Japan  nine  weeks  ago.  It  is  a “movable 
feast/’  and  is  regulated  by  the  date  on  which  the 
new  moon  falls  nearest  to  the  day  “when  the  sun 
reaches  the  15°  of  Aquarius,”  and  occurs  this  year 
on  January  21st.  Everything  becomes  cheap 
before  it,  for  shopkeepers  are  anxious  to  realize 
ready  money  at  any  loss,  for  it  is  imperative  that  all 
accounts  be  closed  by  the  last  day  of  the  old  year, 
on  pain  of  a man  being  disgraced,  losing  all  hope 
of  getting  credit,  and  of  having  his  name  written 
up  on  his  door  as  a defaulter.  It  appears  also  that 
debts  which  are  not  settled  by  the  New  Year’s  Eve 
cannot  thereafter  be  recovered,  though  it  is  lawful 
for  a creditor  who  has  vainly  hunted  a debtor 
throughout  that  last  night  to  pursue  him  for  the 
first  hours  after  daybreak,  provided  he  still  carries 
a lantern  ! 

The  festival  lasts  a fortnight,  and  is  a succession 
of  feasts  and  theatrical  entertainments,  everybody’s 
object  being  to  cast  care  and  work  to  the  winds. 
Even  the  official  seals  of  the  mandarins  are  formally 
and  with  much  rejoicing  sealed  up  and  laid  aside 
for  one  month.  On  the  20th  day  of  the  12th 
month  houses  and  temples  are  thoroughly  washed 
and  cleaned,  rich  and  poor  decorate  with  cloth-of- 
gold,  silk  embroideries,  artificial  and  real  flowers, 
banners,  scrolls,  lucky  characters,  illuminated  strips 
of  paper,  and  bunches  of  gilt-paper  flowers,  and 
even  the  poorest  coolie  contrives  to  greet  the  fes- 
tival with  some  natural  blossom.  There  is  no  rest 


1 86  THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

either  by  night  or  day,  joss-sticks  burn  incessantly, 
and  lamps  before  the  ancestral  tablets,  gongs  are 
beaten,  gingalls  fire  incessantly,  and  great  crackers 
like  cartridges  fastened  together  in  rows  are  let  off 
at  intervals  before  every  door  to  frighten  away  evil 
spirits  : there  are  family  banquets  of  wearisome 
length,  feasts  to  the  household  gods,  offerings  in 
the  temples,  processions  in  the  street  by  torch  and 
lantern  light,  presents  are  given  to  the  living,  and 
offerings  to  the  dead,  the  poor  are  feasted,  and  the 
general  din  is  heightened  by  messengers  perambu- 
lating the  streets  with  gongs,  calling  them  to  the 
different  banquets.  When  the  fortnight  of  rejoic- 
ing is  over  its  signs  are  removed,  and  after  the  out- 
break of  extravagant  expenditure  the  Chinese 
return  to  their  quiet,  industrious  habits  and  frugal 
ways. 

J ust  as  this  brilliant  display  left  the  room,  a figure 
in  richer  coloring  of  skin  appeared — -Babu,  the  head 
servant,  in  his  beautiful  Hadji  dress.  He  wore 
white  full  trousers,  drawn  in  tightly  at  the  ankles 
over  black  shoes,  but  very  little  of  these  trousers 
showed  below  a long,  fine,  linen  tunic  of  spotless 
white,  with  a girdle  of  orange  silk.  Over  this  was 
a short  jacket  of  rich  green  silk,  embroidered  in 
front  with  green  of  the  same  color,  and  over  all  a 
pure  white  robe  falling  from  the  shoulders.  The 
turban  was  a Mecca  turban  made  of  many  yards  of 
soft  white  silk,  embroidered  in  white  silk.  It  was 
difficult  to  believe  that  this  gorgeous  Mussulman, 


A MOHAMMEDAN  PRINCE. 


1 87 


in  the  odor  of  double  sanctity,  with  his  scornful  face 
and  superb  air,  could  so  far  demean  himself  as  to 
wait  on  “ dogs  of  infidels”  at  dinner,  or  appear  in 
my  room  at  the  Stadthaus  with  matutinal  tea  and 
bananas ! 

This  magnificence  heralded  the  Datu  Klana, 
Syed  Abdulrahman,  the  reigning  prince  of  the  na- 
tive State  of  Sungei  Ujong,  his  principal  wife,  and 
his  favorite  daughter,  a girl  of  twelve.  It  has  been 
decided  that  I am  to  go  to  Sungei  Ujong,  and  that 
I am  to  be  escorted  by  Mr.  Hayward,  the  superin- 
tendent of  police,  but,  unfortunately,  I am  to  go 
up  in  the  Datu  Klana’s  absence,  and  one  object  of 
his  visit  was  to  express  his  regret.  This  prince  has 
been  faithful  to  British  interests,  and  is  on  most 
friendly  terms  with  the  resident,  Captain  Murray, 
and  the  Governor  of  Malacca.  During  his  visit 
Babu  interpreted,  but  Miss  Shaw,  who  understands 
Malay,  said  that,  instead  of  interpreting  faithfully, 
he  was  making  enormous  demands  on  my  behalf ! 
At  all  events,  Syed  Abdulrahman,  with  truly  ex- 
aggerated  Oriental  politeness,  presented  me  with 
the  key  of  his  house  in  the  interior. 

This  prince  is  regarded  by  British  officials  as  an 
enlightened  ruler,  though  he  is  a rigid  Mussulman. 
His  dress  looked  remarkably  plain  beside  that  of 
the  splendid  Babu.  He  wore  a Malay  bandana 
handkerchief  round  his  head,  knotted  into  a peak, 
a rich  brocade  baju  or  short  jacket,  a dark  Manilla 
sarong,  trousers  of  Mandarin  satin  striped  with  red, 


1 88  THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

a girdle  clasp  set  with  large  diamonds.,  and  sandals 
with  jeweled  cloth-of-gold  straps.  His  wife,  though 
elderly  and  decidedly  plain  looking,  has  a very 
pleasing  expression.  She  wore  a black  veil  over 
her  head,  and  her  kabaya , or  upper  garment,  was 
fastened  with  three  diamond  clasps.  The  bright 
little  daughter  wore  a green  veil  with  gold  stars 
upon  it  over  her  head,  and  ornaments  of  rich,  red 
gold  elaborately  worked.  The  Datu  Klana  apolo- 
gized for  the  extreme  plainness  of  their  dress  by 
saying  that  they  had  only  just  arrived,  and  that 
they  had  called  before  changing  their  traveling 
clothes.  When  they  departed  the  two  ladies  threw 
soft  silk  shawls  over  their  heads,  and  held  them  so 
as  to  cover  their  faces  except  their  eyes. 

There  are  now  sixty-seven  thousand  Malays  in 
the  British  territory  of  Malacca,  and  the  number  is 
continually  increased  by  fugitives  from  the  system 
of  debt-slavery  which  prevails  in  some  of  the  ad- 
jacent States,  and  by  immigration  from  the  same 
States  of  Malays  who  prefer  the  security  which 
British  rule  affords. 

[The  police  force  is  Malay,  and  it  seems  as 
if  the  Malays  had  a special  aptitude  for  this 
semi-military  service,  for  they  not  only  form  the 
well-drilled  protective  forces  of  Malacca,  Sungei 
Ujong,  and  Selangor,  but  that  fine  body  of  police 
in  Ceylon  of  which  Mr.  George  Campbell  has  so 
much  reason  to  be  proud.  Otherwise  very  few 
of  them  enter  British  employment,  greatly  pre- 


THE  DEC  A Y OF  MALACCA.  1 89 

ferring  the  easy,  independent  life  of  their  forest 
kampongs.\ 

The  commercial  decay  of  Malacca  is  a very  in- 
teresting fact.*  Formerly  fifty  merchantmen  were 
frequently  lying  in  its  roads  at  one  time.  Here  the 
Portuguese  fleet  lay  which  escorted  Xavier  from 
Goa,  and  who  can  say  how  many  galleons  freighted 
with  the  red  gold  of  Ophir  floated  on  these  quiet 
waters  ! Now,  Chinese  junks,  Malay  prahus,  a few 
Chinese  steamers,  steam-launches  from  the  native 
States,  and  two  steamers  which  call  in  passing, 
make  up  its  trade.  There  is  neither  newspaper, 
banker,  hotel,  nor  resident  English  merchant.  The 
half-caste  descendants  of  the  Portuguese  are,  gener- 
ally speaking,  indolent,  degraded  with  the  degra- 
dation that  is  born  of  indolence,  and  proud.  The 
Malays  dream  away  their  lives  in  the  jungle,  and 
the  Chinese,  who  number  twenty  thousand,  are 
really  the  ruling  population. 

The  former  greatness  of  Malacca  haunts  one  at 
all  times.  The  romantic  exploits  of  Albuquerque, 
who  conquered  it  in  1511,  apostrophized  in  the 
Lusiad — 

“ Not  eastward  far  though  fair  Malacca  lie, 

Her  groves  embosomed  in  the  morning  sky, 


* Linscholt,  two  hundred  and  seventy  years  ago,  writes: — “This  place 
is  the  market  of  all  India,  of  China,  and  the  Moluccas,  and  of  other  islands 
round  about,  from  all  which  places,  as  well  as  from  Banda,  Java,  Sumatra, 
Siam,  Pegu,  Bengal,  Coromandil,  and  India,  arrive  ships  which  come  and 
go  incessantly  charged  with  an  infinity  of  merchandises.” 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


I9O 


Though  with  her  amorous  sons  the  valiant  line 
Of  Java’s  isle  in  battle  rank  combine, 

Though  poisoned  shafts  their  ponderous  quivers  store, 
Malacca’s  spicy  groves  and  golden  ore, 

Great  Albuquerque,  thy  dauntless  toils  shall  crown,” 

live  again,  though  my  sober  judgment  is  that  Albu- 
querque and  most  of  his  Portuguese  successors 
were  little  better  than  buccaneers. 

I like  better  to  think  of  Francis  Xavier  passing 
through  the  thoroughfares  of  what  was  then  the 
greatest  commercial  city  of  the  East,  ringing  his 
bell,  with  the  solemn  cry,  “ Pray  for  those  who  are 
in  a state  of  mortal  sin.”  For  among  the  “Jews, 
Turks,  infidels,  and  heretics”  who  then  thronged 
its  busy  streets,  there  were  no  worse  livers  than  the 
roistering  soldiers  who  had  followed  Albuquerque. 
Tradition  among  the  present  Portuguese  residents 
says  that  coarse  words  and  deeds  disappeared  from 
the  thoroughfares  under  his  holy  influence,  and 
that  little  altars  were  set  up  in  public  places,  round 
which  the  children  sang  hymns  to  Jesus  Christ, 
while  the  passers-by  crossed  themselves  and  bowed 
their  heads  reverently.  Now,  the  cathedral  which 
crowns  the  hill,  roofless  and  ruinous,  is  only  impos- 
ing from  a distance,  and  a part  of  it  is  used  for  the 
storage  of  marine  or  lighthouse  stores  under  our 
prosaic  and  irreverent  rule.  Xavier  preached  fre- 
quently in  it  and  loved  it  well,  yet  the  walls  are 
overgrown  with  parasites,  and  the  floor,  under 
which  many  prelates  and  priests  lie,  is  hideous  with 


REMAINS  OF  DUTCH  RULE.  1 91 

matted  weeds,  which  are  the  haunt  of  snakes  and 
lizards.  Thus,  in  the  city  which  was  so  dear  to 
Xavier  that  he  desired  to  return  to  it  to  die  (and 
actually  did  die  on  his  way  thither),  the  only  me- 
mento of  him  is  the  dishonored  ruin  of  the  splendid 
church  in  which  his  body  was  buried,  with  all  the 
population  of  Malacca  following  it  from  the  yellow 
strand  up  the  grass-crowned  hill,  bearing  tapers. 
This  wretched  ruin  is  a contrast  to  the  splendid 
mausoleum  at  Goa,  where  his  bones  now  lie, 
worthily  guarded,  in  coffins  of  silver  and  gold. 

If  the  Portuguese  were  little  better  than  bucca- 
neers, the  Dutch,  who  drove  them  out,  were  little 
better  than  hucksters, — mean,  mercenary  traders, 
without  redeeming  qualities ; content  to  suck  the 
blood  of  their  provinces  and  give  nothing  in  return. 
I should  think  that  the  colony  is  glad  to  be  finally 
rid  of  them.  The  English  took  possession  of  it  in 
1795,  but  restored  it  to  the  Dutch  in  181S,  regain- 
ing it  again  by  treaty  in  1824,  giving  Bencoolen,  in 
Sumatra,  in  exchange  for  it,  stipulating  at  the 
same  time  that  the  Dutch  were  not  to  meddle  with 
Malayan  affairs,  or  have  any  settlement  on  the 
Malay  Peninsula.  The  ruined  cathedral  of  Notre 
Dame  del  Monte  is  a far  more  interesting  object 
than  the  dull  bald,  commonplace,  flat-faced,  prosaic, 
Dutch  meeting-house,  albeit  the  latter  is  in  excel- 
lent repair.  Even  this  Stadthaus,  with  its  stately 
solitudes,  smells  of  trade,  and  suggests  corpulent 
burgomasters  and  prim  burgomasters’  wives  in 


192 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


wooden  hoops  and  stiff  brocades.  The  influence 
of  Holland  has  altogether  vanished,  as  is  fitting, 
for  she  cared  only  for  nutmegs,  sago,  tapioca,  tin 
and  pepper. 

The  variety  of  races  here  produces  a ludicrous 
effect  sometimes.  In  the  Stadthaus  one  never 
knows  who  is  to  appear — whether  Malay,  Portu- 
guese, Chinaman,  or  Madrassee.  Yesterday  morn- 
ing, at  six,  the  Chinaman  who  usually  “ does  ” my 
room,  glided  in,  murmuring  something  unintelligi- 
ble, and  on  my  not  understanding  him,  brought  in  a 
Portuguese  interpreter.  At  seven,  came  in  the 
Madrassee,  Babu,  with  a cluster  of  bananas,  and 
after  him,  two  Malays,  in  red  sarongs,  who  brushed 
and  dusted  all  my  clothes  as  slowly  as  they  could — 
men  qf  four  races  in  attendance  before  I was  up  in 
the  morning!  This  Chinese  attendant,  besides 
being  a common  coolie  in  a brown  cotton  shirt  over 
a brown  cotton  pair  of  trousers,  is  not  a good  spec- 
imen of  his  class,  and  is  a great  nuisance  to  me 
My  doors  do  not  bolt  properly,  and  he  appears  in 
the  morning  while  I am  in  my  holoku,  writing,  and 
slowly  makes  the  bed  and  kills  mosquitoes;  then 
takes  one  gown  after  another  from  the  rail,  and 
stares  at  me  till  I point  to  the  one  I am  going  to 
wear,  which  he  holds  out  in  his  hands  ; and  though 
I point  to  the  door,  and  say  “ Go  ! ” with  much  em- 
phasis, I never  get  rid  of  him,  and  have  to  glide 
from  my  holoku  into  my  gown  with  a most  unwilling 
dexterity. 


PROJECTS  OF  TRAVEL. 


193 


Two  days  ago  Captain  Shaw  declared  that  “ pluck 
should  have  its  reward,”  and  that  I should  have  fa- 
cilities for  going  to  Sungei  Ujong.  Yesterday,  he 
asked  me  to  take  charge  of  his  two  treasured 
daughters,  Then  Babu  said,  “If  young  ladies  go, 
me  go,”  and  we  are  to  travel  under  the  efficient 
protection  of  Mr.  Hayward,  the  superintendent  of 
police.  This  expedition  excites  great  interest  in 
the  little  Malacca  world.  This  native  State  is  re- 
garded as  “ parts  unknown  ; ” the  Governor  has 
never  visited  it,  and  there  are  not  wanting  those 
who  shake  their  heads  and  wonder  that  he  should 
trust  his  girls  in  a region  of  tigers,  crocodiles,  rogue 
elephants  and  savages  ! The  little  steam-launch 
Moosmee  (in  reality  by  far  the  greatest  risk  of  all) 
has  been  brought  into  the  stream  below  the  Stadt- 
haus,  ready  for  an  early  start  to-morrow,  and  a run- 
ner has  been  sent  to  the  Resident  to  prepare  him 
for  such  an  unusual  incursion  into  his  solitudes. 

I.  L.  B. 


13 


A CHAPTER  ON  SUNGEI  UJONG. 

I had  never  heard  of  this  little  State  until  I 
reached  Singapore,  and  probably  many  people  are 
as  ignorant  as  I was.  The  whole  peninsula,  from 
Johore  in  the  south  to  Kedah  in  the  north,  is  a 
puzzle,  what  with  British  colonies,  Singapore, 
Malacca,  and  Province  Wellesley,  and  “ Protected 
States,”  Sungei  Ujong,  Selangor,  and  Perak,  north, 
south,  and  east  of  which  lie  a region  of  unprotected 
Malay  States,  with  their  independent  rulers,  such 
as  Kedah,  Patani,  Tringganu,  Kelantan,  Pahang, 
Johore,  etc."'  In  several  of  these  States,  more  or 
less  anarchy  prevails,  owing  to  the  ambitions  and 
jealousies  of  the  Rajahs  and  their  followers,  and  a 
similar  state  of  things  in  the  three  protected  States 
formerly  gave  great  annoyance  to  the  Straits  Set- 
tlements Government,  and  was  regarded  as  a hin- 
drance to  the  dominant  interests  of  British  trade  in 
the  Straits. 

In  1874,  Sir  A.  Clark,  the  then  Governor,  acting 


* A number  of  small  States  are  united  into  a sort  of  confederation  known 
as  the  Negri  Sembilan,  or  Nine  States.  Their  relative  positions  and  internal 
management,  as  well  as  their  boundaries,  remain  unknown,  as  from  dread  of 
British  annexation  they  have  refused  to  allow  Europeans  to  pass  through 
their  territory. 

194 


SUNGEI  UJONG. 


T95 


in  British  interests,  placed  British  residents  in  Pe- 
rak, Selangor,  and  the  small  State  of  Sungei  Ujong. 
These  residents  were  to  advise  the  rulers  in  matters 
of  revenue  and  general  administration,  but,  it  may 
be  believed,  that  as  time  has  passed,  they  have  be- 
come more  or  less  the  actual  rulers  of  the  States 
which  they  profess  to  advise  merely.  They  are  the 
accredited  agents  of  England,  reporting  annually 
to  the  Straits  Government,  which,  in  its  turn, 
reports  to  the  Colonial  Office,  and  the  amount  of 
pressure  which  they  can  bring  to  bear  is  over- 
whelming. 

It  is  not  easy  to  give  the  extent  and  boundaries 
of  Sungei  Ujong,  the  “boundary  question”  being 
scarcely  settled,  and  the  territory  to  the  eastward 
being  only  partially  explored.  It  is  mainly  an  in- 
land State,  access  to  its  very  limited  seaboard  being 
by  the  Linggi  river.  The  “protected”  State  of 
Selangor  bounds  it  on  the  north,  and  joining  on  to 
it  and  to  each  other  on  the  east,  are  the  small  “ in- 
dependent ” States  of  Rumbow,  Johol,  Moar,  Sri 
Menanti,  Jelabu,  Jompol,  and  Jelai.  The  Linggi 
river,  which  in  its  lower  part  forms  the  boundary 
between  Selangor  and  Malacca,  forks  in  its  upper 
part,  the  right  branch  becoming  for  some  distance 
the  boundary  between  Sungei  Ujong  and  Rumbow. 
It  is  doubtful  whether  the  area  of  the  State  exceeds 
seven  hundred  square  miles. 

The  Malays  of  Sungei  Ujong  and  several  of  the 
adjacent  States  are  supposed  to  be  tolerably  directly 


1 96  THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

descended  from  those  of  the  parent  empire  Menang- 
kabau  in  Sumatra,  who  conquered  and  have  to  a 
great  extent  displaced  the  tribes  known  as  Jakuns, 
Orang  Bukit,  Rayet  Utan,  Samangs,  Besisik,  Rayet 
Laut,  etc.,  the  remnants  of  which  live  mainly  in  the 
jungles  of  the  interior,  are  everywhere  apart  from 
the  Malays,  and  are  of  a much  lower  grade  in  the 
scale  of  civilization.  The  story  current  among  the 
best  informed  Malays  of  this  region  is  that  a Suma- 
tran chief  with  a large  retinue  crossed  to  Malacca 
in  the  twelfth  century,  and  went  into  the  interior, 
which  he  found  inhabited  only  by  the  Jakuns,  or 
“tree  people.”  There  his  followers  married  Jakun 
women,  and  their  descendants  spread  over  Sungei 
Ujong,  Rumbow,  and  other  parts,  the  Rayet  Laut, 
or  “sea-people,”  the  supposed  Ichthyophagi  of  the 
ancients,  and  the  Rayet  LI  tan,  or  “forest-people,” 
betaking  themselves  to  the  woods  and  the  sea- 
board hills. 

This  mixed  race  rapidly  increasing,  divided  into 
nine  petty  States,  under  chiefs  who  rendered  feudal 
service  to  the  Sultans  of  Malacca  before  its  conquest 
by  the  Portuguese,  and  afterward  to  the  Sultan  of 
Johore,  at  whose  court  they  presented  themselves 
once  a year.  This  confederation,  called  the  Negri 
Sembilan,  in  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  cent- 
uries made  various  commercial  treaties  with  the 
Dutch,  but  its  domestic  affairs  were  in  a state  of 
chronic  feud,  and  four  of  the  States,  late  in  the 
eighteenth  century,  becoming  disgusted  with  the 


A “ LITTLE  WAR. 


197 


arbitrary  proceedings  of  a ruler  who,  aided  by  Dutch 
influence,  had  gained  the  ascendency  over  the  whole 
nine,  sent  to  Sumatra,  the  original  source  of  govern- 
ment, for  a prince  of  the  blood-royal  of  Menangka- 
bau,  and  after  a prolonged  conflict  this  prince  be- 
came sovereign  of  the  little  States  of  Sungei  Ujong, 
Rumbow,  Johol,  and  Sri  Menanti,  the  chiefs  of  these 
States  constituting  his  Council  of  State.  This  dynasty 
came  to  an  end  in  1832,  and  intrigues  and  discord 
prevailed  for  many  years,  till  the  Datu  Klana  of 
Sungei  Ujong,  troubled  by  a hostile  neighbor  in 
Rumbow  and  a hostile  subject  or  rival  at  home, 
conceived  the  bright  idea  of  supporting  his  some- 
what shaky  throne  by  British  protection. 

After  some  curious  negotiations,  he  succeeded  in 
obtaining  both  a Resident  and  the  English  flag  to 
protect  his  little  fortunes  ; but  it  is  obvious  that  his 
calling  in  foreign  intervention  was  not  likely  to 
make  him  popular  with  his  independent  neighbors 
or  disaffected  subjects,  and  the  troubles  culminated 
in  a “little  war,”  in  which  the  attacking  force  was 
composed  of  a few  English  soldiers,  Malay  military 
police,  and  a body  of  about  eighty  so-called  Arabs, 
enlisted  in  Singapore  and  taken  to  the  scene  of  ac- 
tion by  Mr.  Fontaine.  The  “enemy”  was  seldom 
obvious,  but  during  the  war  it  inflicted  a loss  upon 
us  of  eight  killed  and  twenty-three  wounded.  We 
took  various  stockades,  shot  from  sixty  to  eighty 
Malays,  burned  a good  deal  of  what  was  combusti- 
ble, and  gave  stability  to  the  shaky  rule  of  the  Datu 


198 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE 


Klana,  Syed  Abdulrahman.  Of  this  prince,  who 
owed  his  firm  seat  on  the  throne  to  British  inter- 
vention, the  Resident  wrote  in  1880: — “Loyal  to 
his  engagements,  he  had  gained  the  good  will  of 
the  British  Government.  Straightforward,  honest, 
and  truly  charitable,  he  had  gained  the  love  and 
respect  of  almost  every  one  in  Sungei  Ujong, 
Chinese  as  well  as  Malay,  and  if  he  had  a fault  he 
erred  on  the  side  of  a weak  belief  in  the  goodness  of 
human  nature,  and  often  suffered  in  consequence.” 
This  was  Captain  Murray’s  verdict  after  nearly  five 
years’  experience. 

The  population  of  this  tiny  State,  which  in  1832 
consisted  of  three  thousand  two  hundred  Malays 
and  four  hundred  Chinese,  at  the  time  of  my  visit 
had  risen  to  twelve  thousand,  composed  of  three 
Europeans,  a few  Klings,  two  thousand  Malays,  and 
ten  thousand  Chinese.  It  exports  tin  in  large 
quantities,  gutta-percha  collected  in  the  interior  by 
the  aborigines,  coffee,  which  promises  to  become  an 
important  production,  buffalo  hides,  gum  dammar, 
and  gharroo.  In  1879  the  exports  amounted  to 
£"81,976  ; £"81,451  being  the  value  of  tin.  Its  im- 
ports are  little  more  than  half  this  amount.  Rice 
heads  the  list  with  an  import  of  £ 18, 150  worth,  and 
opium  comes  next,  valued  at  ,£14,448.  The  third 
import  in  value  is  oil  ; the  next  Chinese  tobacco, 
the  next  sugar,  the  next  salt  fish,  and  the  next  pigs  ! 
The  Chinese,  of  course,  consume  most  of  what  is 
imported,  being  in  a majority  of  five  to  one,  and 


DEBT  AND  REVENUE. 


I99 


here  as  elsewhere  they  carry  with  them  their  rigid 
conservatism  in  dress,  mode  of  living,  food,  and 
amusements,  and  have  a well-organized  and  inde- 
pendent system  of  communication  with  China.  It 
is  the  Chinese  merchant,  not  the  British,  who 
benefits  by  the  rapidly  augmenting  Chinese  popu- 
lation. Thus  in  the  import  list  the  Chinese  tobacco, 
pigs,  lard,  onions,  beans,  vermicelli,  salted  vege- 
tables, tea,  crackers,  joss-sticks,  matches,  Chinese 
candles,  Chinese  clothing,  Chinese  umbrellas,  and 
several  other  small  items,  are  all  imported  from 
China. 

H aving  been  debited  with  a debt  of  £"10,000  for 
war  expenses,  to  be  paid  off  by  installments,  the 
finances  were  much  hampered,  and  the  execution 
of  road-making  and  other  useful  work  has  been 
delayed.  This  war  debt,  heavy  as  it  was,  was  ex- 
clusive of  ,£6,000  previously  paid  off,  and  of  heavy 
disbursements  made  to  supply  food  and  forage  for 
the  British  soldiers  who  were  quartered  in  Sungei 
Ujong  for  a considerable  time.  Apart  from  this 
harassing  debt,  the  expenses  are  pre-eminently  for 
“ establishments,”  the  construction  of  roads  and 
bridges,  and  pensions  to  Rajahs  whose  former 
sources  of  revenue  have  been  interfered  with  or 
abolished.  The  sources  of  revenue  are  to  some  ex- 
tent remarkable,  and  it  is  possible  that  some  of 
them  might  be  altogether  abolished  if  public  atten- 
tion became  focussed  upon  them.  Export  duties 
are  levied  only  on  tin,  the  great  product  of  Sungei 


200 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


Ujong,  and  gutta-percha.  The  chief  import  duty  is 
on  opium,  and  in  1879  this  produced  ,£4,182,  or 
about  one-fourth  of  the  whole  revenue.  Besides 
this  fruitful  and  growing  source  of  income,  ,£3,074 
was  raised  in  1879  under  the  head  “ Farms;”  a most 
innocuous  designation  of  a system  which  has  noth- 
ing to  do  with  the  “ kindly  fruits  of  the  earth  ” at 
all,  but  with  spirits,  gambling,  oil,  salt,  opium,  and 
a lottery ! In  other  words,  the  “farms”  are  so 
many  monopolies,  sold  at  intervals  to  the  highest 
bidder,  the  “gambling  farm”  being  the  most  lucra- 
tive of  the  lot  to  the  Government,  and  of  course  to 
the  “ farmer  ” ! 

The  prison  expenses  are  happily  small,  and  the 
hospital  expenses  also,  owing  mainly  in  the  former 
case  to  the  efforts  of  the  “ Capitans  China,”  who 
are  responsible  for  their  countrymen,  and  in  the 
latter  to  the  extreme  healthiness  of  the  climate. 
The  military  police  force  now  consists  of  a Euro- 
pean superintendent,  ninety-four  constables,  paid 
45s.  per  month,  and  twelve  officers,  all  Malays  ; but 
as  it  is  Malay  nature  to  desire  a change,  and  it  is 
found  impossible  to  retain  the  men  for  any  length- 
ened periods,  it  is  proposed  to  employ  Sikhs,  as  in 
Perak. 

Sungei  Ujong,  like  the  other  States  of  the  Penin- 
sula, is  almost  entirely  covered  with  forests,  now 
being  cleared  to  some  extent  by  tapioca,  gambier, 
and  coffee-planters.  Its  jungles  are  magnificent, 
its  hill  scenery  very  beautiful,  and  its  climate  singu- 


SCENERY  AND  PRODUCTIONS. 


201 


larly  healthy.  Pepper,  coffee,  tapioca,  cinchona, 
and  ipecacuanha,  are  being  tried  successfully  ; burnt 
earth,  of  which  the  natives  have  a great  opinion, 
and  leaf  mould  being-  used  in  the  absence  of  other 
manure. 

The  rainfall  is  supposed  to  average  ioo  inches  a 
year,  and  since  thermometrical  observations  have 
been  taken  the  mercury  has  varied  from  68°  to  920. 
From  the  mangrove  swamps  at  the  mouths  of  tur- 
bid, sluggish  rivers,  where  numberless  alligators 
dwell  in  congenial  slime,  the  State  gradually  rises 
inland,  passing  through  all  the  imaginable  wealth 
of  tropical  vegetation  and  produce  till  it  becomes 
hilly,  if  not  mountainous.  Sparkling  streams  dash 
through  limestone  fissures,  the  air  is  clear,  and  the 
nights  are  fresh  and  cool.  Its  mineral  wealth  lies 
in  its  tin-mines,  which  have  been  worked  mainly  by 
Chinamen  for  a great  number  of  years. 

The  British  Resident,  who  was  called  in  to  act  as 
adviser,  is  practically  the  ruler  of  this  little  State, 
and  the  arrangement  seems  to  give  tolerable  satis- 
faction. At  all  events  it  has  secured  to  Sungei 
Ujong  since  the  war  an  amount  of  internal  tran- 
quillity which  is  not  possessed  by  the  adjacent 
States  which  are  still  under  native  rule,  though 
probably  the  dread  of  British  intervention  and  of 
being  reduced  to  mere  nominal  sovereignty,  being 
“ pensioned  off  ” in  fact,  keeps  the  Rajahs  from  in- 
dulging in  the  feuds  and  exactions  of  former  years. 
Since  my  visit  the  Datu  Klana  died  of  dysentery 


202 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


near  Jeddah  in  Arabia  in  returning  from  a pilgrim- 
age to  Mecca,  and  three  out  of  six  of  his  followers 
perished  of  the  same  disease.  The  succession  was 
quietly  arranged,  but  the  hope  that  the  State  to 
which  its  late  ruler  was  intensely,  even  patriotically 
attached  might  remain  prosperous  under  the  new 
Rajah,  has  not  been  altogether  fulfilled.  Affairs 
are  certainly  not  as  satisfactory  as  they  were,  judg- 
ing from  recent  official  statements.  The  import  of 
opium  has  largely  increased.  Rice  planting  had 
failed  owing  to  the  mortality  and  sickness  among 
the  buffaloes  used  in  ploughing,  the  scanty  crop 
was  nearly  destroyed  by  rats,  and  the  Malays  had 
shown  a “ determined  opposition  ” to  taking  out 
titles  to  their  lands. 

The  new  Datu  Klana  is  very  unpopular,  and  so 
remarkably  weak  in  character  as  not  to  be  able  to 
bring  any  influence  to  bear  upon  the  settlement  of 
any  difficult  question.  The  Datu  Bandar  (alluded 
to  in  my  letter)  is  entirely  opposed  co  progress  of 
every  kind,  and,  having  a great  deal  of  influence, 
obstructs  the  present  Resident  in  every  attempt  to 
come  to  an  understanding  on  the  land  grant  ques- 
tion. A virulent  cattle  disease  had  put  an  end  for 
the  time  being  to  cart  traffic;  and  the  Linggi,  the 
great  high-road  to  the  tin-mines,  had  become  so 
shallow  that  the  means  of  water  transport  were 
very  limited.  Large  numbers  of  jungle  workers 
had  returned  to  Malacca.  The  Resident’s  report 
shows  very  significantly  the  formidable  difficulties 


A ‘DUAL  CONTROL. 


203 


which  attend  on  the  system  of  a “ Dual  Control,” 
and  on  making  any  interference  with  “ Malay  cus- 
tom ” regarding  land,  etc.  It  is  scarcely  likely, 
however,  that  Sungei  Ujong  and  the  other  feeble 
protected  States  which  have  felt  the  might  of  Brit- 
ish arms,  and  are  paying  dearly  through  long  years 
for  their  feeble  efforts  at  independence,  will  ever 
seek  to  shake  off  the  present  system,  which,  on  the 
whole,  gives  them  security  and  justice. 


LETTER  XI. 


Sempang  Police  Station. 

(At  the  junction  of  the  Loboh-Chena,  and  Linggi  rivers),  Territory  of  the 
Datu  Klana  of  Sungei  Ujong,  Malay  Peninsula. 

Jan.  24.  1 p.m.  Mercury,  87°. 

We  left  Malacca  at  seven  this  morning  in  the 
small,  unseaworthy,  untrustworthy,  unrigged  steam- 
launch  Moosmee , and  after  crawling  for  some  hours 
at  a speed  of  about  five  miles  an  hour  along  brown 
and  yellow  shores  with  a broad,  dark  belt  of  palms 
above  them,  we  left  the  waveless,  burning  sea  be- 
hind, and  after  a few  miles  of  tortuous  steaming 
through  the  mangrove  swamps  of  the  Linggi  river, 
landed  here  to  wait  for  sufficient  water  for  the  rest 
of  our  journey. 

This  is  a promontory  covered  with  cocoa-palms, 
bananas,  and  small  jungle  growths.  On  either  side 
are  small  rivers  densely  bordered  by  mangrove 
swamps.  The  first  sight  of  a real  mangrove  swamp 
is  an  event.  This  mangi-mangi  of  the  Malays  (the 
Rhizophera  mangil  of  botanists)  has  no  beauty. 
All  along  this  coast  within  access  of  tidal  waters 
there  is  a belt  of  it  many  miles  in  breadth,  dense, 
impenetrable,  from  forty  to  fifty  feet  high,  as  nearly 
level  as  may  be,  and  of  a dark,  dull  green.  At  low 
204 


JUNGLE  DWELLERS. 


205 


water  the  mangroves  are  seen  standing  close  packed 
along  the  shallow  and  muddy  shores  on  cradles  or 
erections  of  their  own  roots  five  or  six  feet  high, 
but  when  these  are  covered  at  high  tide  they  ap- 
pear to  be  growing  out  of  the  water.  They  send 
down  roots  from  their  branches,  and  all  too  quickly 
cover  a large  space.  Crabs  and  other  shell-fish  at- 
tach themselves  to  them,  and  aquatic  birds  haunt 
their  slimy  shades.  They  form  huge  breeding 
grounds  for  alligators  and  mosquitoes,  and  usually 
for  malarial  fevers,  but  from  the  latter  the  Penin- 
sula is  very  free.  The  seeds  germinate  while  still 
attached  to  the  branch.  A long  root  pierces  the 
covering  and  grows  rapidly  downward  from  the 
heavy  end  of  the  fruit,  which  arrangement  secures 
that  when  the  fruit  falls  off  the  root  shall  at  once 
become  embedded  in  the  mud.  Nature  has  taken 
abundant  trouble  to  insure  the  propagation  of  this 
tree,  nearly  worthless  as  timber.  Strange  to  say, 
its  fruit  is  sweet  and  eatable,  and  from  its  fermented 
juice  wine  can  be  made.  The  mangrove  swamp  is 
to  me  an  evil  mystery 

Behind,  the  jungle  stretches  out — who  can  say 
how  far,  for  no  European  has  ev.er  penetrated  it  ? 
— and  out  of  it  rise,  jungle-covered,  the  Rumbow 
hills.  The  elephant,  the  rhinoceros,  the  royal  tiger, 
the  black  panther,  the  boar,  the  leopard,  and  many 
other  beasts  roam  in  its  tangled,  twilight  depths, 
but  in  this  fierce  heat  they  must  be  all  asleep  in 
their  lairs.  The  Argus-pheasant  too,  one  of  the 


206 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


loveliest  birds  of  a region  whose  islands  are  the 
home  of  the  Bird  of  Paradise,  haunts  the  shade, 
and  the  shade  alone.  In  the  jungle  too,  is  the 
beautiful  bantam  fowl,  the  possible  progenitor  of 
all  that  useful  race.  The  cobra,  the  python  (?),  the 
boa-constrictor,  the  viper,  and  at  least  fourteen 
other  ophidians,  are  winding  their  loathsome  and 
lissom  forms  through  slimy  jungle  recesses  ; and 
large  and  small  apes  and  monkeys,  flying  foxes, 
iguanas,  lizards,  peacocks,  frogs,  turtles,  tortoises, 
alligators,  besides  tapirs,  rarely  seen,  and  the  pal- 
andok  or  chevrotin,  the  hog  deer,  the  spotted  deer, 
and  the  sambre,  may  not  be  far  off.  I think  that 
this  part  of  the  country,  intersected  by  small,  shal- 
low, muddy  rivers,  running  up  through  slimy  man- 
grove swamps  into  avast  and  impenetrable  jungle, 
must  be  like  many  parts  of  Western  Africa. 

One  cannot  walk  three  hundred  yards  from  this 
station,  for  there  are  no  tracks.  We  are  beyond 
the  little  territory  of  Malacca,  but  this  bit  of  land 
was  ceded  to  England  after  the  “ Malay  disturb- 
ances” in  1875,  and  on  it  has  been  placed  the  Sem- 
pang  police  station,  a four-roomed  shelter,  roofed 
with  attcip,  a thatch  made  of  the  fronds  of  the  nipah 
palm,  supported  on  high  posts, — an  idea  perhaps 
borrowed  from  the  mangrove, — and  reached  by  a 
ladder.  In  this  four  Malay  policemen  and  a corpo- 
ral have  dwelt  for  three  years  to  keep  down  piracy. 
“ Piracy,”  by  which  these  rivers  were  said  to  be  in- 
fested, is  a very  ugly  word,  suggestive  of  ugly  deeds, 


A PRIMITIVE  POLICE  STATION. 


207 


bloody  attacks,  black  flags,  and  no  quarter ; but 
here  it  meant,  in  our  use  of  the  word  at  least,  a 
particular  mode  of  raising  revenue,  and  no  boat 
could  go  up  or  down  the  Linggi  without  paying 
black-mail  to  one  or  more  river  rajahs. 

Our  wretched  little  launch,  moored  to  a cocoa- 
palm,  flies  a blue  ensign,  and  the  Malay  policemen 
wear  an  imperial  crown  upon  their  caps, — both  rep- 
resenting somewhat  touchingly  in  this  equatorial 
jungle  the  might  of  the  small  island  lying  far  off 
amidst  the  fogs  of  the  northern  seas,  and  in  this  in- 
stance at  least  not  her  might  only,  but  the  security 
and  justice  of  her  rule. 

Two  or  three  canoes  hollowed  out  of  tree  trunks 
have  gone  up  and  down  the  river  since  we  landed, 
each  of  the  inward  bound  being  paddled  by  four 
men,  who  ply  their  paddles  facing  forward,  which 
always  has  an  aboriginal  look,  those  going  down 
being  propelled  by  single,  square  sails  made  of  very 
coarse  matting.  It  is  very  hot  and  silent.  The 
only  sounds  are  the  rustle  of  the  palm  fronds  and 
the  sharp  din  of  the  cicada,  abruptly  ceasing  at  in- 
tervals. 

In  this  primitive  police  station  the  notices  are  in 
both  Tamil  and  Arabic,  but  the  reports  are  written 
in  Arabic  only.  Soon  after  we  sat  down  to  drink 
fresh  cocoa-nut  milk,  the  great  beverage  of  the  coun- 
try, a Malay  bounded  up  the  ladder  and  passed 
through  us,  with  the  most  rapid  and  feline  move- 
ments I have  ever  seen  in  a man.  His  large  prom- 


208 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


inent  eyes  were  fixed,  tiger-like,  on  a rifle  which 
hung  on  the  wall,  at  which  he  darted,  clutched  it, 
and,  with  a feline  leap,  sprang  through  us  again.  1 
have  heard  much  of  amok  running  lately,  and  have 
even  seen  the  tvvo-prongecl  fork  which  was  used  for 
pinning  a desperate  amok  runner  to  the  wall,  so 
that  for  a second  I thought  that  this  Malay  was 
“ running  amuck  ; ” but  he  ran  down  toward  Mr. 
Hayward,  our  escort,  and  I ran  after  him,  just  in 
time  to  see  a large  alligator  plunge  from  the  bank 
into  the  water.  Mr.  Hayward  took  a steady  aim 
at  the  remaining  one,  and  hit  him,  when  he  sprang 
partly  up  as  if  badly  wounded,  and  then  plunged 
into  the  river  after  his  companion,  staining  the 
muddy  water  with  his  blood  for  some  distance. 

Police  Station,  Pcrmatang  Pasir.  Sungei  Ujong, 
5 p.m. — We  are  now  in  a native  State,  in  the  Ter- 
ritory of  the  friendly  Datu  Klana,  Syecl  Abdulrah- 
man,  and  the  policemen  wear  on  their  caps  not  an 
imperial  crown,  but  a crescent,  with  a star  between 
its  horns. 

This  is  a far  more  adventurous  expedition  than 
we  expected.  Things  are  not  going  altogether  as 
straight  as  could  be  desired,  considering  that  we 
have  the  Governor’s  daughters  with  us,  who,  besides 
being  very  precious,  are  utterly  unseasoned  and 
inexperienced  travelers,  quite  unfit  for  “ roughing 
it.”  For  one  thing,  it  turns  out  to  be  an  absolute 
necessity  for  us  to  be  out  all  night,  which  I am 
very  sorry  for,  as  one  of  the  girls  is  suffering  from 


A TROPICAL  RIVER.  209 

the  effects  of  exposure  to  the  intense  heat  of  the 

sun. 

We  left  Sempang  at  two,  the  Misses  Shaw  reel- 
ing rather  than  walking  to  the  launch.  I cannot 
imagine  what  the  mercury  was  in  the  sun,  but  the 
copper  sheathing  of  the  gunwale  was  too  hot  to 
be  touched.  Above  Sempang  the  river  narrows 
and  shoals  rapidly,  and  we  had  to  crawl,  taking 
soundings  incessantly,  and  occasionally  dragging 
heavily  over  mud  banks.  We  saw  a large  alligator 
sleeping  in  the  sun  on  the  mud,  with  a mouth,  I 
should  think,  a third  of  the  length  of  his  body  ; 
and  as  he  did  not  wake  as  we  panted  past  him,  a 
rifle  was  loaded  and  we  backed  up  close  to  him  ; 
but  Babu,  who  had  the  weapon,  and  had  looked 
quite  swaggering  and  belligerent  so  long  as  it  was 
unloaded,  was  too  frightened  to  fire;  the  saurian 
awoke,  and  his  hideous  form  and  corrugated  hide 
plunged  into  the  water,  so  close  under  the  stern  as 
to  splash  us.  After  this,  alligators  were  so  com- 
mon, singly  or  in  groups,  or  in  families,  that  they 
ceased  to  be  exciting.  It  is  difficult  for  anything 
to  produce  continuous  excitement  under  this  fierce 
sun  ; and  conversation,  which  had  been  flagging 
before  noon,  ceased  altogether.  It  was  awfully  hot 
in  the  launch,  between  fire  and  boiler-heat  and 
solar  fury.  I tried  to  keep  cool  by  thinking  of 
Mull,  and  powdery  snow  and  frosty  stars,  but  it 
would  not  do.  It  was  a solemn  afternoon,  as  the 
white,  unwinking  sun  looked  down  upon  our  silent 
14 


2 10 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


party,  on  the  narrow  turbid  river,  silent  too,  except 
for  the  occasional  plunge  of  an  alligator  or  other 
water  monster — on  mangrove  swamps  and  nipah 
palms  dense  along  the  river  side,  on  the  blue  gleam 
of  countless  kingfishers,  on  slimy  creeks  arched 
over  to  within  a few  feet  of  their  surface  by  grand 
trees  with  festoon  of  lianas,  on  an  infinite  variety 
of  foliare,  on  an  abundance  of  slender-shafted 
palms,  on  great  fruits  brilliantly  colored,  on  won- 
derful flowers  on  the  trees,  on  the  hoya  carnosa 
and  other  waxen-leaved  trailers  matting  the  forest 
together  and  hanging  down  in  great  festoons,  the 
fiery  tropic  sunblaze  stimulating  all  this  over-pro- 
duction into  perennial  activity,  and  vivifying  the 
very  mud  itself. 

Occasionally  we  passed  a canoe  with  a “ savage  ” 
crouching  in  it  fishinm  but  saw  no  other  trace  of 
man,  till  an  hour  ago  we  came  upon  large  cocoa 
groves,  a considerable  clearing  in  the  jungle,  and  a 
very  large  Malayan-Chinese  village  with  mosques, 
one  on  either  side  of  the  river,  houses  built  on 
platforms  over  the  water,  large  and  small  native 
boats  covered  and  thatched  with  attap,  roofed  plat- 
forms on  stilts  answering  the  purpose  of  piers, 
bathing-houses  on  stilts  carefully  secluded,  all  form- 
ing the  (relatively)  important  village  of  Permatang 
Pasir. 

Up  to  this  time  we  had  expected  to  find  perfectly 
smooth  sailing,  as  a runner  was  sent  from  Malacca 
to  the  Resident  yesterday.  We  supposed  that  we 


A SOMBRE-FACED  THRONG. 


2 I I 


should  be  carried  in  chairs  six  miles  through  the 
jungle  to  a point  where  a gharrie  could  meet  us, 
and  that  we  should  reach  the  Residency  by  nine 
to-night  at  the  latest.  On  arriving  at  Sempang,  Mr. 
Hayward  had  sent  a canoe  to  this  place  with  in- 
structions to  send  another  runner  to  the  Resident ; 
but 

“ The  best  laid  schemes  of  men  and  mice  gang  aft  aglee.  ” 

The  messenger  seemed  to  have  served  no  other 
purpose  than  to  assemble  the  whole  male  population 
of  Permatang  Pasir  on  the  shore — a sombre-faced 
throng,  with  an  aloofness  of  manner  and  expression 
far  from  pleasing.  The  thatched  piers  were  crowded 
with  turbaned  Mussulmen  in  their  bajus  or  short 
jackets,  full  white  trousers,  and  red  sarongs  or  plait- 
less kilts — the  boys  dressed  in  silver  fig-leaves  and 
silver  bangles  only.  All  looked  at  our  unveiled 
faces  silently,  and,  as  I thought,  disapprovingly. 

After  being  hauled  up  the  pier  with  great  diffi- 
culty, owing  to  the  lowness  of  the  water,  we  were 
met  by  two  of  the  Datu  Klana’s  policemen,  who 
threw  cold  water  on  the  .idea  of  our  getting  on  at 
all  unless  Captain  Murray  sent  for  us.  These  men 
escorted  us  to  this  police  station, — a long  walk 
through  a lane  of  much  decorated  shops,  exclusively 
Chinese,  succeeded  by  a lane  of  detached  Malay 
houses,  each  standing  in  its  own  fenced  and  neatly 
sanded  compound  under  the  shade  of  cocoa-palms 
and  bananas.  The  village  paths  are  carefully 


2 I 2 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


sanded  and  very  clean.  We  emerged  upon  the 
neatly  sanded  open  space  on  which  this  barrack 
stands,  glad  to  obtain  shelter,  for  the  sun  is  still 
fierce.  It  is  a genuine  Malay  house  on  stilts  ; but 
where  there  should  be  an  approach  of  eight  steps 
there  is  only  a steep  ladder  of  three  round  rungs, 
up  which  it  is  not  easy  to  climb  in  boots  ! There  is 
a deep  veranda  under  an  attap  roof  of  steep  slope, 
and  at  either  end  a low  bed  fora  constable,  with  the 
usual  very  hard,  circular  Malay  bolsters,  with  red  silk 
ends,  ornamented  with  gold  and  silk  embroidery. 

Besides  this  veranda  there  is  only^a  sort  of 
inner  room,  with  just  space  enough  for  a table  and 
four  chairs.  The  wall  is  hung  with  rifles,  /crises, 
and  handcuffs,  with  which  a “ Sam  Slick  ” clock,  an 
engraving  from  the  Graphic,  and  some  curious 
Turkish  pictures  of  Stamboul,  are  oddly  mixed  up. 
Babu,  the  Hadji,  having  recovered  from  a sulk  into 
which  he  fell  in  consequence  of  Mr.  Hayward  hav- 
ing quizzed  him  for  cowardice  about  an  alligator, 
has  made  everything  (our  very  limited  everything) 
quite  comfortable,  and,  with  as  imposing  an  air  as 
if  we  were  in  Government  House,  asks  us  when  we 
will  have  dinner  ! One  policeman  has  brought  us 
fresh  cocoa-nut  milk,  another  sits  outside  pulling 
a small  punkah,  and  two  more  have  mounted  guard 
over  us.  This  stilted  house  is  the  barrack  of  eleven 
Malay  constables.  Under  it  are  four  guns  of  light 
calibre,  mounted  on  carriages,  and  outside  is  a gong 
on  which  the  policemen  beat  the  hours. 


FAIR  IMPEDIMENTS. 


213 


At  the  river  we  were  told  that  the  natives  would 
not  go  up  the  shallow,  rapid  stream  by  night,  and 
now  the  corporal  says  that  no  man  will  carry  us 
through  the  jungle  ; that  trees  are  lying  across  the 
track ; that  there  are  dangerous  swamp  holes ; that 
though  the  tigers  which  infest  the  jungle  never  at- 
tack a party,  we  might  chance  to  see  their  glaring 
eyeballs  ; that  even  if  men  could  be  bribed  to  under- 
take to  carry  us,  they  would  fall  with  us,  or  put  us 
down  and  run  away,  for  no  better  reason  than  that 
they  caught  sight  of  the  “spectre  bird”  (the  owl)  ; 
and  he  adds,  with  a gallantry  remarkable  in  a Mo- 
hammedan, that  he  should  not  care  about  Mr. 
Hayward,  “ but  it  would  not  do  for  the  ladies.”  So 
we  are  apparently  stuck  fast,  the  chief  cause  for  anx- 
iety and  embarrassment  being  that  the  youngest 
Miss  Shaw  is  lying  huddled  up  and  shivering  on  one 
of  the  beds,  completely  prostrated  by  a violent  sick 
headache,  brought  on  by  the  heat  of  the  sun  in  the 
launch.  She  declares  that  she  cannot  move ; but 
our  experienced  escort,  who  much  fears  bilious  fever 
for  her,  is  resolved  that  she  shall  as  soon  as  any 
means  of  transit  can  be  procured.  Heretofore,  I 
have  always  traveled  “ without  encumbrance.”  Is 
it  treasonable  to  feel  at  this  moment  that  these  fair 
girls  are  one  ? I.  L.  B. 


LETTER  XII. 


British  Residency,  Serambang,  Sungei  Ujong, 

January  26. 

By  the  date  of  my  letter  you  will  see  that  our 
difficulties  have  been  surmounted,  I continue  my 
narrative  in  a temperature  which,  in  my  room — 
shaded  though  it  is — has  reached  87°.  After  hear- 
ing many  pros  and  cons,  and  longing  much  for  the 
freedom  of  a solitary  traveler,  I went  out  and  visited 
the  tomb  of  a famous  Hadji,  “ a great  prophet,” 
the  policeman  said,  who  was  slain  in  ascending  the 
Linggi.  It  is  a raised  mound,  like  our  churchyard 
graves,  with  a post  at  each  end,  and  ajar  of  oil  upon 
it,  and  is  surrounded  by  a lattice  of  reeds  on  which 
curtains  are  hanging,  the  whole  being  covered  with 
a thatched  roof  supported  on  posts. 

The  village  looks  prosperous,  and  the  Chinaman 
as  much  at  home  as  in  China, — striving,  thriving, 
and  oblivious  of  everything  but  his  own  interests, 
the  sole  agent  in  the  development  of  the  resources 
of  the  country,  well  satisfied  with  our,  or  any  rule, 
under  which  his  gains  are  quick  and  safe. 

There  are  village  officers,  or  headmen,  Pangulus, 
in  all  villages,  and  every  hamlet  of  more  than  forty 
houses  has  its  mosque  and  religious  officials,  though 

214 


DURANCE  VILE. 


215 


Mohammedanism  does  not  recognize  the  need  of  a 
priesthood.  If  one  see  a man,  with  the  upper  part 
of  his  body  unclothed,  paddling  a log  canoe,  face 
fonvard,  one  is  apt  to  call  him  a savage,  specially  if 
he  be  dark-skinned  ; but  the  Malays  would  be  much 
offended  if  they  were  called  savages,  and,  indeed, 
they  are  not  so.  They  have  an  elaborate  civiliza- 
tion, etiquette,  and  laws  of  their  own  ; are  the  most 
rigid  of  monotheists,  are  decently  clothed,  build  se- 
cluded and  tolerably  comfortable  houses,  and  lead 
domestic  lives  after  their  fashion,  especially  where 
they  are  too  poor  to  be  polygamists,  though  I am 
of  opinion  that  the  peculiar  form  of  domesticity 
which  we  still  cultivate  to  some  extent  in  England, 
and  which  is  largely  connected  with  the  fireside, 
cannot  exist  in  a tropical  country.  After  the 
obtrusive  nudity  and  promiscuous  bathing  of  the 
Japanese,  there  is  something  specially  pleasing 
in  the  little  secluded  bathing  sheds  by  the  Malay 
rivers,  used  by  one  person  at  a time,  who  throws  a 
sarong  on  the  thatch  to  show  that  the  shed  is  oc- 
cupied. 

Babu  made  some  excellent  soup,  which,  together 
with  curry  made  with  fresh  cocoa-nut,  was  a satis- 
factory meal,  and  though  only  in  a simple,  white, 
Indian  costume,  he  waited  as  grandly  as  at  Malacca. 
Mr.  Hayward’s  knowledge  of  the  peculiarities  of 
the  Malay  character,  at  last  obtained  our  release 
from  what  was  truly  “durance  vile.”  He  sent  for  a 
boatman  apart  from  his  fellows,  and  induced  him  to 


2 1 6 THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

make  a bargain  for  taking  us  up  the  river  at  night ; 
but  the  man  soon  returned  in  a state  of  great  ex- 
citement, complaining  that  the  villagers  had  set  on 
him,  and  were  resolved  that  we  should  not  go  up, 
upon  which  the  police  went  down  and  interfered. 
Even  after  everything  was  settled,  Miss  Shaw  was 
feeling  so  ill  that  she  wanted  to  stay  in  the  police 
station  all  night,  at  least  ; but  Mr.  Hayward  and  I, 
who  consulted  assiduously  about  her,  were  of  opin- 
ion that  we  must  move  her,  even  if  we  had  to  carry 
her,  for  if  she  were  going  to  have  fever,  I could 
nurse  her  at  Captain  Murray’s,  but  certainly  not  in 
the  veranda  of  a police  station  ! 

This  worthy  man,  who  is  very  brave,  and  used  to 
facing  danger — who  was  the  first  European  to  come 
up  here,  who  acted  as  guide  to  the  troops  during 
the  war,  and  afterward  disarmed  the  population — 
positively  quailed  at  having  charge  of  these  two 
fragile  girls.  “ Oh,”  he  repeated  several  times,  “ if 
anything  were  to  happen  to  the  Misses  Shaw  I 
should  never  get  over  it,  and  they  don’t  know  what 
roughing  it  is  ; they  never  should  have  been  allowed 
to  come.”  So  I thought,  too,  as  I looked  at  one  of 
them  lying  limp  and  helpless  on  a Malay  bed  ; but 
my  share  of  the  responsibility  for  them  was  com- 
paratively limited.  Doubtless  his  thoughts  strayed, 
as  mine  did,  to  the  days  of  traveling  “ without  en- 
cumbrance.” There  was  another  encumbrance  of  a 
literal  kind.  They  had  a trunk!  This  indispensa- 
ble impediment  had  been  left  at  Malacca  in  the 


OUR  CRAFT. 


21 7 


morning,  and  arrived  in  a four-paddled  canoe  just 
as  we  were  about  to  start  ! 

Mr.  Hayward  prescribed  two  tablespoonfuls  of 
whisky  for  Miss  Shaw,  for  it  is  somewhat  of  a risk 
to  sleep  out  in  the  jungle  at  the  rainy  season,  for 
the  miasma  rises  twenty  feet,  and  the  day  had  been 
exceptionally  hot.  Our  rather  d’smal  procession 
started  at  seven,  Mr.  Hayward  leading  the  way, 
carrying  a torch  made  of  strips  of  palm  branches 
bound  tightly  together  and  dipped  in  gum  dammar, 
a most  inflammable  resin  ; then  a policeman  ; the 
sick  girl,  moaning  and  stumbling,  leaning  heavily 
on  her  sister  and  me  ; Babu,  who  had  grown  very 
plucky  ; a train  of  policemen  carrying  our  baggage; 
and  lastly,  several  torch-bearers,  the  torches  drip- 
ping fire  as  we  slowly  and  speechlessly  passed 
alonm  It  looked  like  a funeral  or  somethin^  un- 

o o 

canny.  We  crawled  dismally  for  fully  three-quar- 
ters of  a mile  to  cut  off  some  considerable  windings 
of  the  river,  crossed  a stream  on  a plank  bridge, 
and  found  our  boat  lying  at  a very  high  pier  with  a 
thatched  roof. 

The  mystery  of  night  in  a strange  place  was 
wildly  picturesque  ; the  pale,  greenish,  undulating 
light  of  fireflies,  and  the  broad,  red  waving  glare 
of  torches  flashing  fitfully  on  the  skeleton  pier,  the 
lofty  jungle  trees,  the  dark,  fast-flowing  river,  and 
the  dark,  lithe  forms  of  our  half-naked  boatmen. 

The  prahu  was  a flattish-bottomed  boat  about 
twenty-two  and  a half  feet  long  by  six  and  a half 


2 I 8 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


feet  broad,  with  a bamboo  gridiron  flooring  resting 
on  the  gunwale  for  the  greater  part  of  its  length. 
This  was  covered  for  seven  feet  in  the  middle  by  a 
low,  circular  roof,  thatched  with  attap.  It  was 
steered  by  a broad  paddle  loosely  lashed,  and  poled 
by  three  men  who,  standing  at  the  bow,  planted 
their  poles  firmly  in  the  mud  and  then  walked  half- 
way down  the  boat  and  back  again.  All  craft  must 
ascend  the  Linggi  by  this  laborious  process,  for  its 
current  is  so  strong  that  the  Japanese  would  call  it 
one  long  “rapid.”  Descending  loaded  with  tin,  the 
stream  brings  boats  down  with  great  rapidity,  the 
poles  being  used  only  to  keep  them  off  the  banks 
and  shallows.  Our  boat  was  essentially  “ native.” 
The  “ Golden  Chersonese  ” is  very  hot,  and  much 
infested  by  things  which  bite  and  sting.  Though 
the  mercury  has  not  been  lower  than  8o°  at  night 
since  I reached  Singapore,  I have  never  felt  the 
heat  overpowering  in  a house  ; but  the  night  on 
the  river  was  awful,  and  after  the  intolerable  blaze 
of  the  day  the  fighting  with  the  heat  and  mosqui- 
toes was  most  exhausting,  crowded  as  we  were  into 
very  close  and  uneasy  quarters,  a bamboo  gridiron 
being  by  no  means  a bed  of  down.  Bad  as  it  was, 
I was  often  amused  by  the  thought  of  the  unusual 
feast  which  the  jungle  mosquitoes  were  having  on 
the  blood  of  four  white  people.  If  it  had  not  been 
for  the  fire  in  the  bow,  which  helped  to  keep  them 
down  by  smoking  them  (and  us),  I at  least  should 
now  be  laid  up  with  “ mosquito  fever.” 


NOCTURNAL  RE  VELA  TIONS.  2 1 9 

The  Misses  Shaw  and  I were  on  a blanket  on 
the  gridiron  under  the  roof,  which  just  allowed  of 
sitting  up  ; Mr.  Hayward,  who  h^d  never  been  up 
the  river  before,  and  was  anxious  about  the  navigfa- 
tion,  sat,  vigilant  and  lynx-eyed,  at  the  edge  of  it  ; 
Babu,  who  had  wrapped  himself  in  Oriental  impas- 
siveness and  a bernouse,  and  Mr.  Hayward’s  police 
attendant  sat  in  front,  all  keeping  their  positions 
throughout  the  night  as  dutifully  as  the  figures  in 
a tableau  vivant ; and  so  we  silently  left  Permatang 
Pasir  for  our  jungle  voyage  of  eighteen  hours,  in 
which  time,  by  unintermitting  hard  work,  we  were 
propelled  about  as  many  miles,  though  some  say 
twenty- nine. 

No  description  could  exaggerate  the  tortuosity 
of  the  Linggi  or  the  abruptness  of  its  windings. 
The  boatmen  measure  the  distance  by  turns. 
When  they  were  asked  when  we  should  reach  the 
end  they  never  said  in  so  many  hours,  but  in  so 
many  turns. 

Silently  we  glided  away  from  the  torchlight  into 
the  apparently  impenetrable  darkness,  but  the 
heavens,  of  which  we  saw  a patch  now  and  them 
were  ablaze  with  stars,  and  ere  long  the  forms  of 
trees  above  and  around  us  became  tolerably  dis- 
tinct. Ten  hours  of  darkness  followed  as  we  poled 
our  slow  and  tedious  way  through  the  forest  gloom, 
with  trees  to  right  of  us,  trees  to  left  of  us,  trees 
before  us,  trees  behind  us,  trees  above  us,  and,  I 
may  write,  trees  under  us,  so  innumerable  were  the 


220 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


sna£s  and  tree  trunks  in  the  river.  The  ni^ht  was 
very  still, — not  a leaf  moved,  and  at  times  the 
silence  was  very,  solemn.  I expected,  indeed,  an 
unbroken  silence,  but  there  were  noises  that  I shall 
never  forget.  Several  times  there  was  a long  shrill 
cry,  much  like  the  Australian  “ Coo-ee,”  answered 
from  a distance  in  a tone  almost  human.  This  was 
the  note  of  the  grand  night  bird,  the  Argus  pheas- 
ant, and  is  said  to  resemble  the  cry  of  the  “orang- 
outang,” the  Jakkuns,  or  the  wild  men  of  the  interior. 
A sound  like  the  constant  blowing  of  a steam- 
whistle  in  the  distance  wTas  said  to  be  produced  by 
a large  monkey.  Yells,  hoarse  or  shrill,  and  roars 
more  or  less  guttural,  were  significant  of  any  of  the 
wild  beasts  with  which  the  forest  abounds,  and 
recalled  the  verse  in  Psalm  civ.,  “Thou  makest 
darkness  that  it  may  be  night,  wherein  all  the 
beasts  of  the  forest  do  move.”  Then  there  w-ere 
cries  as  of  fierce  gambols,  or  of  pursuit  and  capture, 
of  hunter  and  victim  ; and  at  times,  in  the  midst  of 
profound  stillness,  came  huge  plungings,  wfith  ac- 
companying splashings,  which  I thought  were  made 
by  alligators,  but  which  Captain  Murray  thinks 
wrere  more  likely  the  riot  of  elephants  disturbed 
while  drinking.  There  were  hundreds  of  mysteri- 
ous and  unfamiliar  sounds  great  and  small,  signifi- 
cant of  the  unknown  beast,  reptile,  and  insect  world 
which  the  jungle  hides,  and  then  silences. 

Sheet  lightning,  very  blue,  revealed  at  intervals 
the  strong  stream  swfirling  past  under  a canopy  of 


GLORIES  OF  THE  JUNGLE. 


221 


trees  falling  and  erect,  with  straight  stems  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  high  probably,  surmounted  by 
crowns  of  drooping  branches  ; palms  with  their 
graceful  plumage  ; lianas  hanging,  looping,  twist- 
ing— their  orange  fruitage  hanging  over  our-  heads  ; 
great  black  snags  ; the  lithe,  wiry  forms  of  our  boat- 
men always  straining  to  their  utmost ; and  the  mo- 
tionless white  turban  of  the  Hadji, — all  for  a sec- 
ond relieved  against  the  broad  blue  flame,  to  be 
again  lost  in  darkness. 

The  Linggi  above  Permatang  Pasir,  with  its 
sharp  turns  and  muddy  hurry,  is,  I should  say,  from 
thirty  to  sixty  feet  wide,  a mere  pathway  through 
the  jungle.  Do  not  think  of  a jungle,  as  I used  to 
think  of  it,  as  an  entanglement  or  thicket  of  profuse 
and  matted  scrub,  for  it  is  in  these  regions  at  least 
a noble  forest  of  majestic  trees,  many  of  them  sup- 
ported at  their  roots  by  three  buttresses,  behind 
which  thirty  men  could  find  shelter.  On  many  of 
the  top  branches  of  these,  other  trees  have  taken 
root  from  seeds  deposited  by  birds,  and  have  at- 
tained considerable  size  ; and  all  send  down,  as  it 
appears , extraordinary  cylindrical  strands  from  two 
to  six  inches  in  diameter,  and  often  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  in  length,  smooth  and  straight  until 
they  root  themselves,  looking  like  the  guys  of  a 
mast.  Under  these  giants  stand  the  lesser  trees 
grouped  in  glorious  confusion, — cocoa,  sago,  areca, 
and  gomuti  palms,  nipah  and  nibong  palms,  tree 
ferns  fifteen  and  twenty  feet  high,  the  bread-fruit, 


222 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


the  ebony,  the  damar,  the  india  rubber,  the  gutta- 
percha, the  cajeput,  the  banyan,  the  upas,  the  bom- 
bax  or  cotton  tree,  and  hosts  of  others,  many  of 
which  bear  brilliant  flowers,  but  have  not  yet  been 
botanized  ; and  I can  only  give  such  barbarous 
names  as  chumpaka , Kamooning , marbow , scum, 
dadap ; and,  loveliest  of  all,  the  waringhan , a spe- 
cies of  ficus,  graceful  as  a birch ; and  underneath 
these  again  great  ferns,  ground  orchids,  and  flower- 
ing shrubs  of  heavy,  delicious  odor,  are  interlocked 
and  interwoven.  Oh  that  you  could  see  it  all  ! It 
is  wonderful  ; no  words  could  describe  it,  far  less 
mine.  Mr.  Darwin  says  so  truly  that  a visit  to  the 
tropics  (and  such  tropics)  is  like  a visit  to  a new 
planet.  This  new  wonder-world,  so  enchanting, 
tantalizing,  intoxicating,  makes  me  despair,  for  I 
cannot  make  you  see  what  I am  seeing!  Amidst 
all  this  wealth  of  nature  and  in  this  perennial  sum- 
mer heat  I quite  fail  to  realize  that  it  is  January, 
and  that  with  you  the  withered  plants  are  shrivel- 
ing in  the  frost-bound  earth,  and  that  leafless  twigs 
and  the  needles  of  half-starved  pines  are  shivering 
under  the  stars  in  the  aurora-lighted  winter  nights. 

But  to  the  jungle  again.  The  great  bamboo 
towers  up  along  the  river  sides  in  its  feathery  grace, 
and  behind  it  the  much  prized  Malacca  cane,  the 
rattan,  creeping  along  the  ground  or  climbing  trees 
and  knotting  them  together,  with  its  tough  strands, 
from  a hundred  to  twelve  hundred  feet  in  length, 
matted  and  matting  together ; while  ferns,  selagi- 


FERNS  AND  ORCHIDS 


223 


crimson,  and  crimson  flecked  with  gold  ; and  the 
great  and  lesser  trees  alike  are  loaded  with  trailers, 
ferns,  and  orchids,  among  which  huge  masses  of 
the  elk-horn  fern  and  the  shining  five-foot  fronds  of 
the  A splenium  Niches  are  everywhere  conspicuous. 


nellas,  and  lycopodiums  struggle  for  space  in  which 
to  show  their  fragile  beauty,  along  with  hardier 
foliaceous  plants,  brown  and  crimson,  green  and 


ELK-HORN  FERN. 


224 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


Not  only  do  orchids  crowd  the  brandies,  and  the 
hoya  carnosa , the  yam,  the  blue-blossomed  Thun- 
bergia,  the  vanilla  (?),  and  other  beautiful  creepers, 
conceal  the  stems,  while  nearly  every  parasitic 
growth  carries  another  parasite,  but  one  sees  here  a 
filament  carelessly  dangling  from  a branch  sustain- 
ing some  bright-hued  epiphyte  of  quaint  mocking 
form ; then  a branch  as  thick  as  a clipper’s  main- 
mast reaches  across  the  river,  supporting  a fes- 
tooned trailer,  from  whose  stalks  hang,  almost 
invisibly  suspended,  oval  fruits  almost  vermilion  col- 
ored ; then  again  the  beautiful  vanilla  and  the  hoya 
carnosa  vie  with  each  other  in  wreathing-  the.  same 
tree;  or  an  audacious  liana,  with  great  clusters  of 
orange  or  scarlet  blossoms,  takes  possession  of  sev- 
eral trees  at  once,  lighting  up  the  dark  greenery 
with  its  flaming  splotches;  or  an  aspiring  trailer, 
dexterously  linking  its  feebleness  to  the  strength  of 
other  plants,  leaps  across  the  river  from  tree  to  tree 
at  a height  of  a hundred  feet,  and,  as  though  in 
mockery,  sends  down  a profusion  of  crimson  fes- 
toons far  out  of  reach.  But  it  is  as  useless  to  at- 
tempt to  catalogue  as  to  describe.  To  realize  an 
equatorial  jungle  one  must  see  it  in  all  its  wonder- 
ment of  activity  and  stillness — the  heated,  steamy 
stillness  through  which  one  fancies  that  no  breeze 
ever  whispers,  with  its  colossal  flowering  trees,  its 
green  twilight,  its  inextricable  involvement,  its  but- 
terflies and  moths,  its  brilliant  but  harsh  voiced 
birds,  its  lizards  and  flying  foxes,  its  infinite  variety 


GREATER  MOTH  ORCHID. 


AN  UNEASY  NIGHT. 


225 


of  monkeys — sitting,  hanging  by  hands  or  tails, 
leaping,  grimacing,  jabbering,  pelting  each  other 
with  fruits ; and  its  loathsome  saurians,  lying  in  wait 
on  slimy  banks  under  the  mangroves.  All  this  and 
far  more  the  dawn  revealed  upon  the  Linggi  river ; 
but  strange  to  say,  through  all  the  tropic  splendor 
of  the  morning,  I saw  a vision  of  the  Tricntalis 
Europe <z,  as  we  saw  it  first  on  a mossy  hillside  in 
Glen  Cannich ! 

But  I am  forgetting  that  the  night  with  its  black- 
ness and  mystery  came  before  the  sunrise,  that  the 
stars  seldom  looked  through  the  dense  leafage,  and 
that  the  pale  green  lamps  of  a luminous  fungus  here 
and  there,  and  the  cold  blue  sheet-lightning  only 
served  to  intensify  the  solemnity  of  the  gloom. 
While  the  blackest  part  of  the  night  lasted  the 
“view”  was  usually  made  up  of  the  black  river 
under  the  foliage,  with  scarcely  ten  yards  of  its 
course  free  from  obstruction — great  snags  all  along 
it  sticking  up  menacingly,  trees  lying  half  or  quite 
across  it,  with  barely  room  to  pass  under  them,  or 
sometimes  under  water,  when  the  boat  “ drave 
heavily”  over  them,  while  great  branches  brushed 
and  ripped  the  thatch  continually  ; and  as  one  ob- 
stacle was  safely  passed,  the  rapidity  of  the  current 
invariably  canted  us  close  on  another,  but  the  vigi- 
lant skill  of  the  boatmen  averted  the  slightest  acci- 
dent.  “Jaga!  Jaga /” — caution!  caution! — was 
the  constant  cry.  The  most  unpleasant  sensations 
were  produced  by  the  constant  ripping  and  tearing 
15 


226 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


sounds  as  we  passed  under  the  low  tunnel  of  vegeta- 
tion, and  by  the  perpetual  bumping  against  timber. 

The  Misses  Shaw  passed  an  uneasy  night.  The 
whisky  had  cured  the  younger  one  of  her  severe 
sick  headache,  and  she  was  the  prey  of  many  ter- 
rors. They  thought  that  the  boat  would  be  ripped 
up  ; that  the  roof  would  be  taken  off  ; that  a tree 
would  fall  and  crush  us ; that  the  boatmen,  when 
they  fell  overboard,  as  they  often  did,  would  be 
eaten  by  alligators  ; that  they  would  see  glaring 
eyeballs  whenever  the  cry  “ Rimou  / ” — a tiger! — 
was  raised  from  the  bow ; and  they  continually 
awoke  me  with  news  of  something  that  was  happen- 
ing or  about  to  happen,  and  were  drolly  indignant 
because  they  could  not  sleep  ; while  I,  a blasee  old 
campaigner,  slept  whenever  they  would  let  me. 

Day  broke  in  a heavy  mist,  which  disappeared 
magically  at  sunrise.  As  the  great  sun  wheeled 
rapidly  above  the  horizon  and  blazed  upon  us  with 
merciless  fierceness,  all  at  once  the  jungle  became 
vociferous.  Loudly  clattered  the  busy  cicada,  its 
simultaneous  din,  like  a concentration  of  the  noise 
of  all  the  looms  in  the  world,  suddenly  breaking  off 
into  a simultaneous  silence  ; the  noisy  insect  world 
chirped,  cheeped,  buzzed,  whistled ; birds  hallooed, 
hooted,  whooped,  screeched  ; apes  in  a loud  and  not 
inharmonious  chorus  greeted  the  sun  ; and  monkeys 
chattered,  yelled,  hooted,  quarreled,  and  spluttered. 
The  noise  was  tremendous.  But  the  forest  was 
absolutely  still,  except  when  some  heavy  fruit,  over 


BETEL  CHEWING. 


227 


ripe,  fell  into  the  river  with  a splash.  The  trees 
above  us  were  literally  alive  with  monkeys,  and  the 
curiosity  of  some  of  them  about  us  was  so  great 
that  they  came  down  on  “ monkey  ropes  ” and 
branches  for  the  fun  of  touching  the  roof  of  the 
boat  with  their  hands  while  they  hung  by  their  tails. 
They  were  all  full  of  frolic  and  mischief. 

Then  we  had  a slim  repast  of  soda  water  and 
bananas,  the  Hadji  worshiped  with  his  face  toward 
Mecca,  and  the  boatmen  prepared  an  elaborate  curry 
for  themselves,  with  salt  fish  for  its  basis,  and  for 
its  tastiest  condiment  blachang—  a Malay  prepara- 
tion much  relished  by  European  lovers  of  durion 
and  decomposed  cheese.  It  is  made  by  trampling 
a mass  of  putrefying  prawns  and  shrimps  into  a 
paste  with  bare  feet.  This  is  seasoned  with  salt. 
The  smell  is  penetrating  and  lingering.  Our  men 
made  the  boat  fast,  rinsed  their  mouths,  washed 
their  hands,  and  ate,  using  their  fingers  instead  of 
chopsticks.  Poor  fellows  ! they  had  done  twelve 
hours  of  splendid  work. 

Then  one  of  them  prepared  the  betel  nut  for  the 
rest.  I think  I have  not  yet  alluded  to  this  abom- 
inable practice  of  betel-nut  chewing,  which  is  uni- 
versal among  the  inhabitants  of  the  Malay  Penin- 
sula; the  betel  nut  being  as  essential  to  a Malay  as 
tobacco  is  to  a Japanese,  or  opium  to  the  confirmed 
Chinese  opium-smoker.  It  is  a revolting  habit,  and 
if  a person  speaks  to  you  while  he  is  chewing  his 
“quid”  of  betel,  his  mouth  looks  as  if  it  were  full 


228 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


of  blood.  People  say  that  the  craving  for  stimu- 
lants is  created  by  our  raw,  damp  climate  ; but  it  is 
as  strong  here,  at  the  equator,  in  this  sunny,  balmy 
air.  I have  not  yet  come  across  a region  in  which 
men,  weary  in  body  or  spirit,  are  not  seeking  to 
stimulate  or  stupefy  themselves.  The  Malay  men 
and  women  being  prohibited  by  the  Koran  from 
using  alcohol,  find  the  needed  fillip  in  this  nut,  but 
it  needs  preparation  before  it  suits  their  palates. 

The  betel  nut  is  the  fruit  of  the  lovely,  graceful, 
slender-shafted  areca  palm.  This  tree  at  six  years 
old  begins  to  bear  about  one  hundred  nuts  a year, 
which  grow  in  clusters,  each  nut  being  about  the 
size  of  a nutmeg,  and  covered  with  a yellow,  fibrous 
husk.  The  requisites  for  chewing  are:  a small 
piece  of  areca  nut,  a leaf  of  the  Sirih  or  betel  pep- 
per, a little  moistened  lime,  and,  if  you  wish  to  be 
very  luxurious,  a paste  made  of  spices.  The  Sirih 
leaf  was  smeared  with  a little  fine  lime  taken  from 
a brass  box ; on  this  was  laid  a little,  brownish 
paste ; on  this,  a bit  of  the  nut  ; the  leaf  was  then 
folded  neatly  round  its  contents,  and  the  men  be- 
gan to  chew,  and  to  spit — the  inevitable  conse- 
quence. The  practice  stains  the  teeth  black.  I 
tasted  the  nut,  and  found  it  pungent  and  astrin- 
gent, not  tempting.  The  Malays  think  you  look 
like  a beast  if  you  have  white  teeth. 

The  heat  was  exhausting  ; the  mercury  87°  in 
the  shade  as  early  as  8.30,  and  we  all  suffered, 
more  or  less,  from  it  in  our  cramped  position  and 


areca  palm  {Areca  eatechu ). 


ARRIVAL  AT  NIOTO. 


229 


enforced  inactivity.  At  nine,  having  been  fourteen 
hours  on  the  river,  we  came  on  a small  cleared 
space,  from  which  a bronzed,  frank-faced  man, 
dressed  in  white  linen,  hallooed  to  us  jovially,  and 
we  were  soon  warmly  greeted  by  Captain  Murray, 
the  British  Resident  in  the  State  of  Sungei  Ujong. 
On  seeing  him,  we  hoped  to  find  a gharrie  and  to 
get  some  breakfast  ; and  he  helped  us  on  shore,  as 
if  our  hopes  were  to  be  realized,  and  dragged  us 
under  the  broiling  sun  to  a long  shed,  the  quarters 
of  a hundred  Chinese  coolies,  who  are  making  a 
road  through  the  jungle.  W e sat  down  on  one  of  the 
long  matted  platforms,  which  serve  them  for  beds, 
and  talked  ; but  there  was  no  hint  of  breakfast ; 
and  we  soon  learned  that  the  Malacca  runner  had 
not  reached  the  Residency  at  all,  and  that  the  note 
sent  from  Permatang  Pasir,  which  should  have 
been  delivered  at  1 a.m.,  had  not  been  received  till 
8 a.m.,  so  that  Captain  Murray  had  not  been  able 
to  arrange  for  our  transport,  and  had  had  barely 
time  to  ride  down  to  meet  us  at  such  “ full  speed,” 
as  a swampy  and  partially  made  road  would  allow. 
So  our  dreams  of  breakfast  ended  in  cups  of  stewed 
tea,  given  to  us  by  a half-naked  Chinaman,  and,  to 
our  chagrin,  we  had  to  go  back  to  the  boat  and  be 
poled  up  the  shallowing  and  narrowing  river  for 
four  hours  more,  getting  on  with  difficulty,  the  boat- 
men constantly  jumping  into  the  water  to  heave  the 
boat  off  mud  banks. 

When  we  eventually  landed  at  Nioto,  a small 


230 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


village,  Captain  Murray  again  met  us,  and  we 
found  a road;  and  two  antiquated  buggies,  sent  by 
a Chinaman,  with  their  component  parts  much 
lashed  together  with  rope.  I charioteered  one  of 
these,  with  reins  so  short  that  I could  only  reach 
them  by  sitting  on  the  edge  of  the  seat,  and  a 
whip  so  short  that  I could  not  reach  the  pony  with 
it.  At  a Chinese  village  some  policemen  brought 
us  cocoa-nut  milk.  After  that,  the  pony  could  not, 
or  would  not,  go  ; and  the  Malay  syce  with  diffi- 
culty got  it  along  by  dragging  it,  and  we  had  to 
walk  up  every  hill  in  the  fierce  heat  of  a tropic 
noon.  At  the  large  Chinese  village  of  Rassa,  a 
clever  little  Sumatra  pony  met  us;  and  after  pass- 
ing through  some  roughish  clearings,  on  which 
tapioca  is  being  planted,  we  arrived  here  at  4 p.m., 
having  traveled  sixty  miles  in  thirty-three  hours. 

The  Residency  is  on  a steepish  hill  in  the  middle 
of  an  open  valley,  partially  cleared  and  much  de- 
faced by  tin  diggings.  The  Chinese  town  of 
Serambang  lies  at  the  foot  of  the  hill.  The  valley 
is  nearly  surrounded  by  richly  wooded  hills,  some 
of  them  fully  three  thousand  feet  high.  These, 
which  stretch  away  to  the  northern  State  of  Selan- 
gor, are  bathed  in  indigo  and  cobalt,  slashed  with 
white  here  and  there,  where  cool  streams  dash  over 
forest-shaded  ledges.  The  house  consists  of  two 

o 

attap  roofed  bungalows,  united  by  their  upper 
verandas.  Below  there  are  a garden  of  acclima- 
tization and  a lawn,  on  which  the  Resident  instructs 


POLICE  STATION'  AT  RASSA. 


THE  JOURNEY'S  END. 


231 


the  bright  little  daughter  of  the  Datu  Klana  in 
lawn  tennis.  It  was  very  hot,  but  the  afternoon 
airs  were  strong  enough  to  lift  the  British  ensign 
out  of  its  heavy  folds  and  to  rustle  the  graceful 
fronds  of  the  areca  palms. 

Food  was  the  first  necessity,  then  baths,  then 
sleep,  then  dinner  at  7.30,  and  then  ten  hours  more 
sleep.  I.  L.  B. 


LETTER  XIII. 


Residency,  Sungei  Ujong, 
January  30. 

We  have  been  here  for  four  days.  The  heat  is 
so  great  that  it  is  wonderful  that  one  can  walk  about 
in  the  sunshine  ; but  the  nights,  though  the  mer- 
cury does  not  fall  below  So  , are  cool  and  refresh- 
ing, and  the  air  and  soil  are  both  dry,  though  a 
hundred  inches  of  rain  fall  in  the  year.  These 
wooden  bungalows  are  hot,  for  the  attap  roofs  have 
no  lining,  but  they  are  also  airy.  There  is  no  one 
but  myself  at  night  in  the  one  in  which  my  room 
is,  but  this  is  nothing  after  the  solitude  of  the  great, 
rambling  Stadthaus.  Since  we  came  a sentry  has 
been  on  duty  always,  and  a bull-dog  is  chained  at 
the  foot  of  the  ladder  which  leads  to  both  bunga- 
lows. But  there  is  really  nothing  to  fear  from 
these  “ treacherous  Malays.”  It  is  most  curious  to 
see  the  appurtenances  of  civilization  in  the  heart  of 
a Malay  jungle,  and  all  the  more  so  because  our 
long  night  journey  up  the  Linggi  makes  it  seem 
more  remote  than  it  is.  We  are  really  only  sixty 
miles  from  Malacca. 

The  drawing-room  has  a good  piano,  and  many 
tasteful  ornaments,  books,  and  china, — gifts  from 

232 


BABU. 


233 


lovinof  friends  and  relations  in  the  far  off  home, — 
and  is  as  livable  as  a bachelor  would  be  likely  to 
make  it.  There  is  a billiard  table  in  the  corridor. 
The  dining-room,  which  is  reached  by  going  out  of 
doors,  with  its  red-tiled  floor  and  walls  of  dark,  un- 
polished wood,  is  very  pretty.  In  the  middle  of 
the  dinner  table  there  is  a reflecting  lake  for  “ hot- 
house  flowers ; ” and  exquisite  crystal,  mam  cards 
with  holders  of  Dresden  china,  four  classical  statu- 
ettes in  Parian,  with  pine-apples,  granadillas, 
bananas,  pomegranates,  and  a durion  blanda,  are 
the  “ table  decorations.”  The  cuisine  is  almost  too 
elaborate  for  a traveler’s  palate,  but  plain  meat  is 
rarely  to  be  got,  and  even  when  procurable  is  un- 
palatable unless  disguised.  Curry  is  at  each  meal, 
but  it  is  not  made  with  curry  powder.  Its  basis  is 
grated  cocoa-nut  made  into  a paste  with  cocoa-nut 
milk,  and  the  spices  are  added  fresh.  Turtles  when 
caught  are  kept  in  a pond  until  they  are  needed, 
and  we  have  turtle  soup,  stewed  turtle,  curried  tur- 
tle, and  turtle  cutlets  ad  nauseam.  Fowls  are  at 
every  meal,  but  never  plain  roasted  or  plain  boiled. 
The  first  day  there  was  broiled  and  stewed  elephant 
trunk,  which  tastes  much  like  beef. 

Babu,  who  is  always  cn  grand  tame,  has  taken 
command  of  everything  and  saves  our  host  all 
trouble.  He  carves  at  the  sideboard,  scolds  the 
servants  in  a stage  whisper,  and  pushes  them  in- 
dignantly aside  when  they  attempt  to  offer  anything 
to  “his  young  ladies,”  reduces  Captain  Murray’s 


234 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


butler  to  a nonentity,  and  as  far  as  he  can  turns  the 
Residency  into  Government  House,  waiting  on  us 
assiduously  in  our  rooms,  and  taking  care  of  our 
clothes.  The  dinner  bell  is  a bugle. 

In  houses  in  these  regions  there  is  always  a brick- 
floored  bathroom,  usually  of  large  size,  under  your 
bedroom,  to  which  you  descend  by  a ladder.  This 
is  often  covered  by  a trap-door,  which  is  sometimes 
concealed  by  a couch,  and  in  order  to  descend  the 
sofa  cushion  is  lifted.  Here  it  is  an  open  trap  in 
the  middle  of  the  room.  A bath  is  a necessity — 
not  a luxury — so  near  the  equator,  and  it  is  usual 
to  take  one  three,  four,  or  even  five  times  a day, 
with  much  refreshment.  One  part  of  Babu’s  self- 
imposed  duty  is  to  look  under  our  pillows  for 
snakes  and  centipedes,  and  the  latter  have  been 
found  in  all  our  rooms. 

I must  now  make  you  acquainted  with  our  host, 
Captain  Murray.  He  was  appointed  when  the 
Datu  Ivlana  asked  for  a Resident  four  years  ago. 
He  devotes  himself  to  Sungei  Ujong  as  if  it  were 
his  own  property,  though  he  has  never  been  able 
to  acquire  the  language.  He  is  a man  about  thirty- 
eight,  a naval  officer,  and  an  enterprising  African 
traveler  ; under  the  middle  height,  bronzed,  sun- 
browned,  disconnected  in  his  conversation  from  the 
habit  of  living  without  any  one  in  or  out  of  the 
house  to  speak  to  ; professing  a misanthropy  which 
he  is  very  far  from  feeling,  for  he  is  quite  unsus- 
picious, and  disposed  to  think  the  best  of  every  one  ; 


CAPTAIN  MURRAY. 


^35 


hasty  when  vexed,  but  thoroughly  kind-hearted  ; 
very  blunt,  very  undignified,  never  happy  (he  says) 
out  of  the  wilds  ; thoroughly  well  disposed  to  the 
Chinese  and  Malays,  but  very  impatient  of  their 
courtesies,  thoroughly  well  meaning,  thoroughly  a 
gentleman,  but  about  the  last  person  that  I should 
have  expected  to  see  in  a position  which  is  said  to 
require  much  tact  if  not  finesse.  His  success  leads 
me  to  think,  as  I have  often  thought  before,  that  if 
we  attempt  to  deal  with  Orientals  by  their  own 
methods,  we  are  apt  to  find  them  more  than  a match 
for  us,  and  that  thorough  honesty  is  the  best  policy. 

He  lives  alone,  unguarded  ; trusts  himself  by 
night  and  day  without  any  escort  among  the  peo- 
ple ; keeps  up  no  ceremony  at  all,  and  is  approach- 
able at  all  hours.  Like  most  travelers,  he  has 
some  practical  knowledge  of  medicine,  and  he  gives 
advice  and  medicines  most  generously,  allowing 
himself  to  be  interrupted  by  patients  at  all  hours. 
There  is  no  doctor  nearer  than  Malacca.  He  has 
been  so  successful  that  people  come  from  the  neigh- 
boring States  for  his  advice.  There  is  very  little 
serious  disease,  but  children  are  subject  to  a loath- 
some malady  called  puru.  Two  were  brought  with 
it  to-day.  The  body  and  head  are  covered  with 
pustules  containing  matter,  looking  very  much  like 
small-pox,  and  the  natives  believe  that  it  must  run 
its  course  for  a year.  Captain  Murray  cures  it  in 
a few  days  with  iodide  of  potassium  and  iodine, 
and  he  says  that  it  is  fast  disappearing. 


236 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


Captain  Murray  is  judge,  “ sitting  in  Equity,” 
Superintendent  of  Police,  Chancellor  of  the  Ex- 
chequer, and  Surveyor  of  Taxes,  besides  being 
Board  of  Trade,  Board  of  Works,  and  I know  not 
what  besides.  In  fact,  he  is  the  Government,  al- 
though the  Datu  Klana’s  signature  or  seal  is  re- 
quired to  confirm  a sentence  of  capital  punishment, 
and  possibly  in  one  or  two  other  cases  ; and  his 
Residential  authority  is  subject  only  to  the  limita- 
tions of  his  own  honor  and  good  sense,  sharpened 
somewhat,  were  he  other  than  what  he  is,  by  pos- 
sible snubs  from  the  Governor  of  the  Straits  Set- 
tlements or  the  Colonial  Secretary.  He  is  a thor- 
oughly honorable  man,  means  well  by  all  the  inter- 
ests of  his  little  kingdom,  and  seems  both  beloved 
and  trusted. 

On  Sunday  morning  we  had  English  service  and 
a sermon,  the  congregation  being  augmented  by  the 
only  other  English  people — a man  from  Australia 
who  is  here  road-making,  and  his  wife;  and  in  the 
afternoon,  disregarding  a temperature  of  85°,  we 
went  through  the  Chinese  village  of  Serambang. 

Tin  is  the  staple  product  of  Sungei  Ujong,  and 
until  lately  the  Malay  peninsula  and  the  adjacent 
regions  were  supposed  to  be  the  richest  tin  produc- 
ing countries  in  the  world.  There  is  not  a single 
tin  mine,  however,  properly  so-called.  The  whole 
of  the  tin  exported  from  Sungei  Ujong,  which  last 
year  (1879),  even  at  its  present  reduced  price,  was 
valued  at  ,£81,400,  and  contributed  as  export  duty 


THE  CHINESE  VILLAGE. 


237 


to  the  Government  ,£5,800,  is  found  in  the  detritus 
of  ancient  mountains,  and  is  got,  in  mining  par- 
lance, in  “ stream  works  ” — that  is,  by  washing  the 
soil,  just  as  gold  is  washed  out  of  the  soil  in  Aus- 
tralia and  California.  It  is  supposed  that  there 
is  a sufficient  supply  to  last  for  ages,  even  though 
the  demand  for  tin  for  new  purposes  is  always  on 
the  increase.  It  is  tin  mining  which  has  brought 
the  Chinese  in  such  numbers  to  these  States,  and 
as  miners  and  smelters  they  are  equally  efficient 
and  persevering.  In  1828,  the  number  of  Chinese 
working  the  mines  here  was  one  thousand  ; and 
in  the  same  year  they  were  massacred  by  the  Ma- 
lays. They  now  number  ten  thousand,  and  under 
British  protection  have  nothing  to  fear. 

It  is  still  the  New  Year  holidays,  and  hundreds 
of  Chinamen  were  lounging  about,  and  every  house 
was  gayly  decorated.  The  Malays  never  join  house 
to  house,  the  Chinese  always  do  so,  and  this  village 
has  its  streets  and  plaza.  The  houses  are  all  to  a 
certain  extent  fire-proof — that  is,  when  a fire  occurs, 
and  the  attap- thatched  roofs  are  burned,  the  houses 
below,  which  are  mostly  shops,  are  safe.  These 
shops,  some  of  which  are  very  large,  are  nearly 
dark.  They  deal  mainly  in  Chinese  goods  and  fa- 
vorite Chinese  articles  of  food,  fireworks,  mining 
tools,  and  kerosene  oil.  In  one  shop  twenty  “as- 
sistants,” with  only  their  loose  cotton  trousers  on, 
were  sitting  at  round  tables  having  a meal — not 
their  ordinary  diet,  I should  think,  for  they  had 


238  THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

seventeen  different  sorts  of  soups  and  stews,  some 
of  them  abominations  to  our  thinking. 

We  visited  the  little  joss-house,  very  gaudily 
decorated,  the  main  feature  of  the  decorations  be- 
ing two  enormous  red  silk  umbrellas,  exquisitely 
embroidered  in  gold  and  silks.  The  crowds  in  this 
village  remind  me  of  Canton,  but  the  Chinese  look 
anything  but  picturesque  here,  for  none  of  them — 
or  at  all  events,  only  their  “ Capitans  ” — wear  the 
black  satin  skull  cap  ; and  their  shaven  heads,  with 
the  small  patch  of  hair  which  goes  into  the  com- 
position of  the  pigtail,  look  very  ugly.  The  pig- 
tail certainlv  begins  with  this  lock  of  hair,  but  the 
greater  part  of  it  is  made  up  of  silk  or  cotton 
thread  plaited  in  with  the  hair,  and  blue  or  red 
strands  of  silk  in  a pigtail  indicate  mourning  or 
rejoicing.  None  of  the  Chinese  here  wear  the 
beautiful  long  robes  used  by  their  compatriots  in 
China  and  Japan.  The  rich  wear  a white,  shirt- 
like garment  of  embroidered  silk  crepe  over  their 
trousers  and  petticoat,  and  the  poorer  only  loose 
blue  or,  brown  cotton  trousers,  so  that  one  is  always 
being  reminded  of  the  excessive  leanness  of  their 
forms.  Some  of  the  rich  merchants  invited  us  to 
go  in  and  drink  champagne,  but  we  declined  every- 
thing but  tea,  which  is  ready  all  day  long  in  tea- 
pots kept  hot  in  covered  baskets  very  thickly  pad- 
ded, such  as  are  known  with  us  as  “ Norwegian 
Kitchens.” 

In  the  middle  of  the  village  there  is  a large,  cov- 


GAMBLING  AND  SPIRITS. 


239 


ered,  but  open-sided  building  like  a market,  which 
is  crowded  all  day — and  all  night  too — by  hundreds 
of  these  poor,  half-naked  creatures  standing  round 
the  gaming  tables,  silent,  eager,  excited,  staking 
every  cent  they  earn  on  the  turn  of  the  dice,  living 
on  the  excitement  of  their  gains — a truly  sad  spec- 
tacle. Probably  we  were  the  first  European  ladies 
who  had  ever  walked  through  the  gambling-house, 
but  the  gamblers  were  too  intent  even  to  turn  their 
heads.  There  also  they  are  always  drinking  tea. 
Some  idea  of  the  profits  made  by  the  men  who 
“ farm”  the  gambling  licenses  may  be  gained  from 
the  fact  that  the  revenue  derived  by  the  Govern- 
ment from  the  gambling  “farms”  is  over  £goo  a 
year. 

Spirits  are  sold  in  three  or  four  places,  and  the 
license  to  sell  them  brings  in  nearly  £700  a year, 
but  a drunken  Chinaman  is  never  seen.  There  are 
a few  opium  inebriates,  lean  like  skeletons,  and  very 
vacant  in  expression ; and  every  coolie  smokes  his 
three  whiffs  of  opium  every  night.  Only  a few  of 
the  richer  Chinamen  have  wives,  and  there  are  very 
few  women,  as  is  usual  in  a mining  population. 

A good  many  roads  have  been  made  in  the  State, 
and  the  Chinese  are  building  buggies,  gharries,  and 
wagons,  and  many  of  the  richer  ones  own  them 
and  import  Sumatra  ponies  to  draw  them.  To  say 
that  the  Chinese  make  as  good  emigrants  as  the 
British  is  barely  to  give  them  their  due.  They  have 
equal  stamina  and  are  more  industrious  and  thrifty, 


240  THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

and  besides  that  they  are  always  sober,  can  bear 
with  impunity  the  fiercest  tropical  heat,  and  can 
thrive  and  save  where  Englishmen  would  starve. 
The  immense  immigration  of  Chinese,  all  affiliated 
to  clubs  or  secret  societies,  might  be  a great  risk  to 
the  peace  of  the  State  were  it  not  that  they  recog- 
nize certain  leaders  known  as  “ Capitans  China,” 
who  contrive  to  preserve  order,  so  far  as  is  known 
by  a wholesome  influence  merely  ; and  who  in  all 
cases,  in  return  for  the  security  which  property  en- 
joys under  our  flag,  work  cordially  with  the  Resi- 
dent in  all  that  concerns  the  good  of  the  State. 
How  these  “ Capitans”  are  elected,  and  how  they 
exercise  their  authority,  is  as  inscrutable  as  most 
else  belonging  to  the  Chinese.  The  Chinese  seem 
not  so  much  broadly  patriotic  as  provincial  or  clan- 
nish, and  the  “ Hoeys,”  or  secret  societies,  belong 
to  the  different  southern  provinces.  The  fights  be- 
tween the  factions,  and  the  way  in  which  the  secret 
societies  screen  criminals  by  false  swearing  and 
other  means,  are  among  the  woes  of  the  Governor 
and  Lieutenant-Governors  of  these  Settlements. 
Though  they  get  on  very  well  up  here,  thanks  to 
the  “ Capitan  China,”  the  clans  live  in  separate 
parts  of  the  village,  have  separate  markets  and 
gaming  houses,  and  a wooden  arch  across  the  street 
divides  the  two  “Nations.” 

We  went  to  pay  complimentary  visits  for  the 
New  Year  to  these  “Capitans”  with  the  Malay  in- 
terpreter, and  were  received  with  a curious  mixture 


NEW  YEAR  VISITS. 


241 


of  good-will  and  solemnity.  Wine,  tea  and  sweet- 
meats were  produced  at  each  house.  Their  houses 
are  very  rude,  considering  their  ample  means,  and 
have  earthen  floors.  They  have  comfortable  car- 
riages, and  their  gentle,  sweet-mannerecl  children 
were  loaded  with  gold  and  diamonds.  In  one 
house,  a sweet  little  girl  handed  round  the  tea  and 
cake,  and  all,  even  to  babies  who  can  scarcely 
toddle  across  the  floor,  came  up  and  shook  hands. 
A Chinese  family  impresses  one  by  its  extreme  or- 
derliness, filial  reverence  being  regarded  as  the 
basis  of  all  the  virtues.  The  manners  of  these 
children  are  equally  removed  from  shyness  and  for- 
wardness. They  all  wore  crowns  of  dark  red  gold 
of  very  beautiful  workmanship,  set  with  diamonds. 
When  these  girl-children  are  twelve  years  old,  they 
will,  according  to  custom,  be  strictly  secluded,  and 
will  not  be  seen  by  any  man  but  their  father  till  the 
bridegroom  lifts  the  veil  at  the  marriage  cere- 
mony. 

After  these  visits,  in  which  the  “ Capitans 
China,”  through  the  interpreter,  assured  us  of  their 
perpetual  and  renewed  satisfaction  with  British  rule, 
Mr.  Hayward,  the  interpreter,  and  I,  paid  another 
visit  of  a more  leisurely  kind  to  one  of  the  Chinese 
gambling  houses,  which,  as  usual,  was  crowded.  At 
one  end  several  barbers  were  at  work.  A China- 
man is  always  being  shaved,  for  he  keeps  his  head 
and  face  quite  smooth,  and  never  shaves  himself. 
The  shaving  the  head  was  originally  a sign  of  subjec- 

16 


242 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


tion  imposed  by  the  Tartar  conquerors,  but  it  is 
now  so  completely  the  national  custom  that  prison- 
ers feel  it  a deep  disgrace  when  their  hair  is  allowed 
to  grow.  Coolies  twist  their  five  feet  of  pigtail 
round  their  heads  while  they  are  at  work,  but  a serv- 
ant or  other  inferior,  only  insults  his  superior  if 
he  enter  his  presence  with  his  pigtail  otherwise 
than  pendent.  The  gaming  house,  whose  open 
sides  allow  it  to  present  k perpetual  temptation,  is 
full  of  tables,  and  at  each  sits  a croupier,  well 
clothed,  and  as  many  half  naked  Chinamen  as  can 
see  over  each  others’  shoulders  crowd  round  him. 
Their  silent,  concentrated  eagerness  is  a piteous 
sight,  as  the  cover  is  slowly  lifted  from  the  heavy 
brass  box  in  which  the  dice  are  kept,  on  the  cast  of 
which  many  of  them  have  staked  all  they  possess. 
They  accept  their  losses  as  they  do  their  gains,  with 
apparent  composure.  They  work  very  hard,  and  live 
on  very  little  ; but  they  are  poor  just  now,  for  the 
price  of  tin  has  fallen  nearly  one-half  in  consequence 
of  the  great  tin  discoveries  in  Australia. 

Along  with  Mr.  Hayward  I paid  a visit  to  the 
Court  House,  a large  whitewashed  room,  with  a 
clean  floor  of  red  tiles,  a tiled  dais,  with  a desk  for 
the  judge,  a table  with  a charge  sheet  and  some 
books  upon  it,  and  three  long  benches  at  the  end  for 
witnesses  and  their  friends.  A punkah  is  kept  con- 
stantly going.  There  are  a clerk,  a Chinese  inter- 
preter, who  speaks  six  Chinese  dialects,  and  a Ma- 
lay interpreter,  who  puts  the  Chinese  interpreter’s 


A COURT  OF  JUSTICE. 


243 


words  into  English.  As  the  judge  does  not  un- 
derstand Malay,  it  will  be  observed  that  justice 
depends  on  the  fidelity  of  this  latter  official. 
Though  I cannot  say  that  the  dignity  of  justice  is 
sustained  in  this  court,  there  is  not  a doubt  that  the 
intentions  of  the  judge  are  excellent,  and  if  some 
of  the  guilty  escape,  it  is  not  likely  that  any  of  the 
innocent  suffer.  The  Datu  Bandar  sometimes  sits 
on  the  bench  with  the  Resident. 

The  benches  were  crowded  almost  entirely  with 
Chinamen,  and  a number  of  policemen  stood  about. 
I noticed  that  these  were  as  anxious  as  our  own 
are  to  sustain  a case.  The  case  which  I heard,  and 
which  occupied  more  than  an  hour,  was  an  accusa- 
tion against  a wretched  Chinaman  for  stealing  a pig. 
I sat  on  the  bench  and  heard  every  word  that  was 
said,  and  arrived  at  no  judicial  conclusion,  nor  did 
the  Resident,  so  the  accused  was  dismissed.  He 
did  steal  that  pig  though  ! I don’t  see  how  truth 
can  be  arrived  at  in  an  Oriental  court,  especially 
where  the  witnesses  are  members  of  Chinese  secret 
societies.  Another  case  of  alleged  nocturnal  as- 
sault,  was  tried,  in  which  the  judge  took  immense 
pains  to  get  at  the  truth,  and  the  prisoner  had  every 
advantage  ; and  when  he  was  found  guilty,  was  put 
into  a good  jail,  from  which  he  will  be  taken  out 
daily  to  work  on  the  roads. 

Malays  being  Mussulmen,  are  mostly  tried  by 
the  “ Divine  Law”  of  the  Koran, and  Chinamen  are 
dealt  with  “ in  equity.”  The  question  to  be  arrived 


244 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


at  simply  is,  “ Did  the  prisoner  commit  this  crime 
or  did  he  not  ? ” If  he  did  he  is  punished,  and  if 
he  did  not  he  is  acquitted.  There  are  no  legal  tech- 
nicalities by  which  trial  can  be  delayed  or  the  ends 
of  justice  frustrated.  Theft  is  the  most  common 
crime.  One  hundred  and  fourteen  persons  were 
convicted  last  year,  which  does  not  seem  a large  pro- 
portion (being  less  than  one  percent.)  out  of  an  un- 
settled mining  population  of  twelve  thousand.  Mr. 
Hayward,  through  whose  hands  the  crime  of  Singa- 
pore and  Malacca  has  filtered  for  twenty  years,  was 
very  critical  on  the  rough  and  ready  method  of  pro- 
ceeding here,  and  constantly  interjected  suggestions, 
such  as  “ You  don’t  ask  them  questions  before  you 
swear  them,”  etc.  Informal  as  its  administration  is, 
I have  no  doubt  that  justice  is  substantially  done, 
for  the  Resident  is  conscientious  and  truly  honora- 
ble. He  is  very  lovable,  and  is  evidently  much  be- 
loved, and  is  able  to  go  about  in  unguarded  security. 

It  is  not  far  from  the  Court  House  to  the  prison, 
a wholesomely  situated  building  on  a hill,  made  of 
concrete,  with  an  attap  roof.  The  whole  building 
is  one  hundred  feet  long  by  thirty  feet  broad. 
There  are  six  cells  for  solitary  confinement.  A 
jailer,  turnkey,  and  eight  warders  constitute  the 
prison  staff.  The  able-bodied  prisoners  are  em- 
ployed on  the  roads  and  other  public  works,  and  at- 
tend upon  the  scavengers’  cart,  which  outcome  of 
civilization  goes  round  every  morning  ! The  diet, 
which  costs  fourpence  a day  for  each  prisoner,  con- 


THE  SANITARIUM. 


245 


sists  of  rice  and  salt  fish,  but  those  who  work  get 
two-pence  halfpenny  a day  in  addition,  with  which 
they  can  either  buy  luxuries  or  accumulate  a small 
sum  against  the  time  when  their  sentences  expire. 
Old  and  weakly  people  do  light  work  about  the 
prison.  One  man  was  executed  for  murder  last 
year  under  a sentence  signed  by  the  Datu  Klana. 
I have  not  been  in  a prison  since  I was  in  that  den 
of  horrors,  the  prison  of  the  Naam-Hoi  magistrate 
at  Canton,  and  I felt  a little  satisfaction  in  the  con- 
trast. 

The  same  afternoon  we  all  made  a very  pleasant 
expedition  to  the  Sanitarium,  a cabin  which  the 
Resident  has  built  on  a hill  three  miles  from  here. 
A chair  with  four  Chinese  bearers  carried  Miss 
Shaw  up,  her  sister  and  the  two  gentlemen  walked, 
and  I rode  a Sumatra  pony,  on  an  Australian  stock- 
man’s saddle,  not  only  up  the  steep  jungle  path,  but 
up  a staircase  of  two  hundred  steps  in  which  it  ter- 
minates, the  sagacious  animal  going  up  quite  cun- 
ningly. One  charm  of  a tropical  jungle  is  that 
every  few  yards  you  come  upon  something  new,  and 
every  hundred  feet  of  ascent  makes  a decided  dif- 
ference in  the  vegetation.  This  is  a very  grand 
forest,  with  its  straight,  smooth  stems  running  up 
over  one  hundred  feet  before  branching,  and  the 
branches  are  loaded  with  orchids  and  trailers.  One 
cannot  see  what  the  foliage  is  like  which  is  borne 
far  aloft  into  the  summer  sunshine,  but  on  the 
ground  I found  great  red  trumpet  flowers  and  crim- 


246 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


son  corollas,  like  those  of  a Brobdingnagian  honey- 
suckle, and  flowers  like  red  dragon-flies  enormously 
magnified,  and  others  like  large,  single  roses  in 
yellow  wax,  falling  slowly  down  now  and  then,  mes- 
sengers from  the  floral  glories  above,  “wasting  (?) 
their  sweetness  on  the  desert  air.”  A traveler 
through  a tropical  jungle  may  see  very  few  flowers 
and  be  inclined  to  disparage  it.  It  is  necessary  to 
go  on  adjacent  rising  ground  and  look  down  where 
trees  and  trailers  are  exhibiting  their  gorgeousness. 
Unlike  the  coarse  weeds  which  form  so  much  of  the 
undergrowth  in  Japan,  everything  which  grows  in 
these  forests  rejoices  the  eye  by  its  form  or  color  ; 
but  things  which  hurt  and  sting  and  may  kill,  lurk 
amidst  all  the  beauties.  A creeping  plant  with  very 
beautiful  waxy  leaves,  said  by  Captain  Murray  to 
be  vanilla,  grows  up  many  of  the  trees. 

When  we  got  up  to  the  top  of  this,  which  the 
Resident  calls  “ Plantation  Hill,”  I was  well  pleased 
to  find  that  only  the  undergrowth  had  been  cleared 
away,  and  that  “ The  Sanitarium  ” consists  only  of 
a cabin  with  a single  room  divided  into  two,  and 
elevated  on  posts  like  a Malay  house.  The  deep 
veranda  which  surrounds  it  is  reached  by  a step- 
ladder.  A smaller  house  could  hardly  be,  or  a more 
picturesque  one,  from  the  steepness  and  irregularity 
of  its  roof.  The  cook-house  is  a small  attap  shed 
in  a place  cut  into  the  hill,  and  an  inclosure  of  attap 
screens  with  a barrel  in  it  under  the  house  is  the 
bath-room.  The  edge  of  the  hill,  from  which  a few 


PLANTATION  BILL. 


247 


trees  have  been  cleared,  is  so  steep  that  but  for  a 
bamboo  rail  one  might  slip  over  upon  the  tree-tops 
below.  Some  Liberian  coffee  shrubs,  some  tea, 
cinchona,  and  ipecacuanha,  and  some  heartless  Eng- 
lish cabbages,  are  being  grown  on  the  hillside,  and 
the  Resident  hopes  that  the  State  will  have  a great 
future  of  coffee. 

The  view  in  all  directions  was  beautiful — to  the 
north  a sea  of  densely  wooded  mountains  with 
indigo  shadows  in  their  hollows;  to  the  south  the 
country  we  had  threaded  on  the  Linggi  river,  for- 
ests, and  small  tapioca  clearings,  little  valleys  where 
rice  is  growing,  and  scars  where  tin-mining  is  going 
on  ; the  capital,  the  little  town  of  Serambang  with 
its  larger  clearings,  and  to  the  west  the  gleam  of 
the  shining  sea.  In  the  absence  of  mosquitoes  we 
were  able  to  sit  out  till  after  dark,  a rare  luxury. 
There  was  a gorgeous  sunset  of  the  gory,  furnace 
kind,  which  one  only  sees  in  the  tropics — waves  of 
violet  light  rolling  up  over  the  mainland,  and  the 
low  Sumatran  coast  looking  like  a purple  cloud 
amidst  the  fiery  haze. 

Dinner  was  well  cooked,  and  served  with  coffee 
after  it,  just  as  at  home.  The  primitive  bath-room 
was  made  usable  by  our  eleven  servants  and  chair- 
bearers  being  sent  to  the  hill,  where  the  two  gentle- 
men mounted  guard  over  them.  After  dark  the 
Chinamen  made  the  largest  bonfire  I ever  saw,  or 
at  all  events  the  most  brilliant,  with  trunks  of  trees 
and  pieces  of  gum  dammar,  several  pounds  in  weight, 


248 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


which  they  obtained  by  digging,  and  this  was  kept 
up  till  day-light,  throwing  its  splendid  glare  over 
the  whole  hill-top,  lighting  up  the  forest,  and  bring- 
ing the  cabin  out  in  all  its  picturesqueness. 

I should  have  liked  to  be  there  some  time  to 
study  the  ways  of  a tribe  of  ants.  Near  the  cabin, 
under  a large  tree,  there  was  an  ant-dwelling,  not 
exactly  to  be  called  an  ant-hill,  but  a subterranean 
ant-town,  with  two  entrances.  Into  this  an  army 
of  many  thousand  largish  ants,  in  an  even  column 
three  and  a half  inches  wide,  marched  continually, 
in  well  “ dressed”  ranks,  about  twenty-seven  in  each, 
with  the  regularity  of  a crack  regiment  on  the 
“march  past,”  over  all  sorts  of  inequalities,  rough 
ground,  and  imbedded  trunks  of  small  trees,  larger 
ants  looking-  like  officers  marching  on  both  sides  of 
the  column,  and  sometimes  turning  back  as  if  to 
give  orders.  Would  that  Sir  John  Lubbock  had 
been  there  to  interpret  their  speech  ! 

Each  ant  of  the  column  bore  a yellowish  burden, 
not  too  large  to  interfere  with  his  activity.  A col- 
umn marshaled  in  the  same  fashion,  but  only  half 
the  width  of  the  other,  emerged  equally  continuously 
from  the  lower  entrance.  From  the  smaller  size  of 
this  column  I suppose  that  a number  of  the  carrier 
ants  remain  within,  stowing  away  their  burdens  in 
store-houses.  Attending  this  latter  column  for 
eighteen  paces,  I came  upon  a marvelous  scene  of 
orderly  activity.  A stump  of  a tree,  from  which 
the  outer  bark  had  been  removed,  leaving  an  under 


AN  ANT  WORLD. 


249 


layer  apparently  permeated  with  a rich,  sweet  se- 
cretion, was  completely  covered  with  ants,  which 
were  removing  the  latter  in  minute  portions. 
Strange  to  say,  however,  a quantity  of  reddish  ants 
of  much  larger  size  and  with  large  mandibles 
seemed  to  do  the  whole  work  of  stripping  off  this 
layer.  They  were  working  from  above,  and  had 
already  bared  some  inches  of  the  stump,  which  was 
four  feet  six  inches  in  diameter.  As  the  small 
morsels  fell  among  the  myriads  of  ants  which 
swarmed  round  the  base  they  were  broken  up,  three 
or  four  ants  sometimes  working  at  one  bit  till  they 
had  reduced  it  into  manageable  portions.  It  was  a 
splendid  sight  to  see  this  vast  and  busy  crowd 
inspired  by  a common  purpose,  and  with  the  true 
instinct  of  discipline,  forever  forming  into  column 
at  the  foot  of  the  stump. 

Toward  dusk  the  reddish  ants,  which  may  be 
termed  quarriers,  gave  up  work,  and  this  was  the 
signal  for  the  workers  below  to  return  home.  The 
quarriers  came  down  the  stump  pushing  the  labor- 
ers, rather  rudely  as  I thought,  out  of  their  way ; 
and  then  forming  in  what  misjht  be  called  “ light 

00  o 

skirmishing  order,”  they  marched  to  the  lower  en- 
trance of  the  town,  meeting  as  they  went  the  col- 
umn of  workers  going  up  to  the  stump.  They  met 
it  of  course  at  once,  and  a minute  of  «great  helter- 
skelter  followed,  this  column  falling  back  on  itself 
as  if  assailed,  in  great  confusion.  If  this  be  the 
ordinary  day’s  routine,  why  does  that  column  fall 


250 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


into  confusion,  and  why,  after  throwing  it  into 
disorder,  do  the  reddish  ants  close  their  ranks  and 
march  into  the  town  in  compact  order,  parallel  with 
the  working  column  goingthe  other  way,  and  which 
they  seemed  to  terrorize?  Is  it  possible  that  the 
smaller  ants  are  only  slaves  of  the  larger?  Inscru- 
table are  the  ways  of  ants  ! However,  when  the 
advancing  column  had  recovered  from  its  confusion 
it  formed  up,  and,  wheeling  round  in  most  regular 
order,  fell  behind  the  rear-guard  of  the  working 
column,  and  before  dark  not  an  ant  remained  out- 
side except  a dead  body. 

Soon  after  the  last  of  its  living  comrades  had  dis- 
appeared, six  ants,  with  a red  one  (dare  I say?)  “in 
command,”  came  out  and  seemed  to  hold  a some- 
what fussy  consultation  round  the  corpse  which  had 
fallen  on  the  line  of  march  to  the  stump.  After  a 
minute  or  two,  three  of  them  got  hold  of  it,  and  with 
the  other  four  as  spectators  or  mourners,  they 
dragged  it  for  about  six  feet  and  concealed  it  under 
a leaf,  after  which  they  returned  home  ; all  this  was 
most  fascinating.  A little  later  Captain  Murray 
destroyed  both  entrances  to  the  town,  but  before 
daylight,  by  dint  of  extraordinary  labor,  they  were 
reconstructed  lower  down  the  slope,  and  the  work 
at  the  stump  was  going  on  as  if  nothing  so  unprec- 
edented had  happened. 

I should  have  liked  also  to  study  the  ways  of  the 
white  ant,  the  great  timber-destroying  pest  of  this 
country,  which  abounds  on  this  hill.  He  is  a large 


NIGHT  ON  PLANT  A TION  HILL. 


251 


ant  of  a pale  buff  color.  Up  the  trunk  of  a tree  he 
builds  a tunnel  of  sand,  held  together  by  a viscid 
secretion,  and  under  this  he  works,  cutting  a deep 
groove  in  the  wood,  and  always  extending  the  tun- 
nel upward.  I broke  away  two  inches  of  such  a 
tunnel  in  the  afternoon,  and  by  the  next  morning 
it  was  restored.  Among  many  other  varieties  of 
ants,  there  is  one  found  by  the  natives,  which  peo- 
ple call  the  “ soldier  ant.”  I saw  many  of  these  big 
fellows,  more  than  an  inch  long,  with  great  mandi- 
bles. Their  works  must  be  on  a gigantic  scale,  and 
their  bite  or  grip  very  painful ; but  being  with  a 
party,  I was  not  able  to  make  their  acquaintance. 

When  it  grew  dark,  tiny  lamps  began  to  move 
in  all  directions.  Some  came  from  on  high,  like 
falling  stars,  but  most  moved  among  the  trees  a 
few  feet  from  the  ground  with  a slow  undulatory 
motion,  the  fire  having  a pale  blue  tinge,  as  one 
imagines  an  incandescent  sapphire  might  have. 
The  great  tree-crickets  kept  up  for  a time  the  most 
ludicrous  sound  I ever  heard — one  sitting  in  a tree 
and  calling  to  another.  From  the  deafening  noise, 
which  at  times  drowned  our  voices,  one  would  sup- 
pose the  creature  making  it  to  be  at  least  as  large 
as  an  eagle. 

The  accommodation  of  the  “ Sanitarium  ” is 
most  limited.  The  two  gentlemen,  well  armed, 
slept  in  the  veranda,  the  Misses  Shaw  in  camp 
beds  in  the  inner  cabin,  and  I in  a swinging1  cot  in 
the  outer,  the  table  being  removed  to  make  room 


252 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


for  it.  The  bull-dog  mounted  guard  over  all,  and 
showed  his  vigilance  by  an  occasional  growl.  The 
eleven  attendants  stowed  themselves  away  under 
the  cabin,  except  a garrulous  couple,  who  kept  the 
fire  blazing  till  daylight.  My  cot  was  most  com- 
fortable, but  I failed  to  sleep.  The  forest  was  full 
of  quaint,  busy  noises,  broken  in  upon  occasionally 
by  the  hoot  of  the  “ spectre  bird,”  and  the  long, 
low,  plaintive  cry  of  some  animal. 

All  the  white  residents  in  the  Malacca  Settle- 
ments have  been  greatly  excited  about  a tragedy 
which  has  just  occurred  at  the  Dindings,  off  this 
coast,  in  which  Mr.  Lloyd,  the  British  superinten- 
dent, was  horribly  murdered  by  the  Chinese  ; his 
wife,  and  Mrs.  Innes,  who  was  on  a visit  to  her, 
narrowly  escaping  the  same  fate.  Lying  awake  I 
could  not  help  thinking  of  this,  and  of  the  ease 
with  which  the  Resident  could  be  overpowered 
and  murdered  by  any  of  our  followers  who  might 
have  a grudge  against  him,  when,  as  I thought,  the 
door  behind  my  head  from  the  back  ladder  was 
burst  open,  and  my  cot  and  I came  down  on  the 
floor  at  the  head,  the  simple  fact  being,  that  the 
head-rope,  not  having  been  properly  secured,  gave 
way  with  a run.  An  hour  afterward  the  foot-ropes 
gave  way,  and  I was  deposited  on  the  floor  al- 
together, and  was  soon  covered  with  small  ants. 

Early  in  the  morning  the  apes  began  to  call  to 
each  other  with  a plaintive  “ Hoo-houey,”  and  in 
the  gray  dawn  I saw  an  iguana  fully  four  feet  long 


A CHINESE  DRAGON  PLAY.  253 

glide  silently  down  the  trunk  of  a tree,  the  branches 
of  which  were  loaded  with  epiphytes.  Captain 
Shaw  asked  the  imaum  of  one  of  the  mosques  of 
Malacca  about  alligator’s  eggs  a few  days  ago,  and 
his  reply  was,  that  the  young  that  went  down  to 
the  sea  became  alligators,  and  those  which  came  up 
the  rivers  became  iguanas.  At  daylight,  after 
coffee  and  bananas,  we  left  the  hill,  and  after  an 
accident,  promptly  remedied  by  Mr.  Hayward, 
reached  Serambancr  when  the  sun  was  hicrh  in  the 

o 

heavens.  I should  think  that  there  are  very  few 
circumstances  which  Mr.  Hayward  is  not  prepared 
to  meet.  He  has  a reserve  of  quiet  strength  which 
I should  like  to  see  fully  drawn  upon.  He  has  the 
scar  of  a spear  wound  on  his  brow,  which  Captain 
Murray  says  was  received  in  holding  sixty  armed 
men  at  bay,  while  he  secured  the  retreat  of  some 
helpless  persons.  Yet  he  continues  to  be  much 
burdened  by  his  responsibility  for  these  fair  girls, 
who,  however,  are  enjoying  themselves  thoroughly, 
and  will  be  none  the  worse. 

\Ye  had  scarcely  returned  when  a large  company 
of  Chinamen,  carrying  bannerets  and  joss-sticks, 
came  to  the  Residency  to  give  a spectacle  or  mira- 
cle-play, the  first  part  consisting  of  a representation 
of  a huge  dragon,  which  kicked,  and  jumped,  and 
crawled,  and  bellowed  in  a manner  totally  unworthy 
of  that  ancient  and  splendid  myth  ; and  the  second, 
of  a fierce  melee , or  succession  of  combats  with 
spears,  shields,  and  battle-axes.  The  performances 


254 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


were  accompanied  by  much  drumming,  and  by  the 
beating  of  tom-toms,  an  essentially  infernal  noise, 
which  I cannot  help  associating  with  the  orgies  of 
devil-worship.  The  “ Capitan  China,”  in  a beauti- 
ful costume,  sat  with  us  in  the  veranda  to  see  the 
performance. 

I have  written  a great  deal  about  the  Chinese  and 
very  little  about  the  Malays,  the  nominal  possess- 
ors of  the  country,  but  the  Chinese  may  be 
said  to  be  everywhere,  and  the  Malays  nowhere. 
You  have  to  look  for  them  if  you  want  to  see  them. 
Besides,  the  Chinese  are  as  ten  to  two  of  the  whole 
population.  Still  the  laws  are  administered  in  the 
name  of  the  Datu  Klana,  the  Malay  ruler.  The 
land  owned  by  Malays  is  being  measured,  and 
printed  title-deeds  are  being  given,  a payment  of  2s. 
an  acre  per  annum  being  levied  instead  of  any 
taxes  on  produce.  Export  duties  are  levied  on  cer- 
tain articles,  but  the  navigation  of  the  rivers  is  free. 
Debt  slavery,  one  curse  of  the  Malay  States,  has 
been  abolished  by  the  energy  of  Captain  Murray 
with  the  cordial  co-operation  of  the  Datu  Klana, 
and  now  the  whole  population  have  the  status  and 
rights  of  free  men.  It  is  a great  pity  that  this 
Prince  is  in  Malacca,  for  he  is  said  to  be  a very  en- 
lightened ruler.  The  photograph  which  I inclose 
(from  which  the  engraving  is  taken)  is  of  the 
marriage  of  his  daughter,  a very  splendid  affair. 
The  buffalo  in  front  was  a marriage  present  from 
the  Straits  Government,  and  its  covering  was 


BRITISH  MARRIAGE  PRESENT. 


THE  DATU  BANDAR'S  HOUSE. 


"55 


of  cloth  of  gold  thick  with  pearls  and  precious 
stones. 

We  visited  yesterday  a Malay  kampong  called 
Mambu,  in  order  to  pay  an  unceremonious  visit  to 
the  Datu  Bandar,  the  Rajah  second  in  rank  to  the 
reigning  prince.  His  house,  with  three  others,  a 
godown  on  very  high  stilts,  and  a mound  of  graves 
whitened  by  the  petals  of  the  Frangipani,  with  a 
great  many  cocoa-nut  and  other  trees,  was  sur- 
rounded, as  Malay  dwellings  often  are,  by  a high 
fence,  within  which  was  another  inclosing  a neat, 
sanded  level,  under  cocoa-palms,  on  which  his 
“private  residence”  and  those  of  his  wives  stand. 
His  secretary,  a nice-looking  lad  in  red  turban,  bajn, 
and  sarong , came  out  to  meet  us,  followed  by  the 
Datu  Bandar,  a pleasant,  able-looking  man,  with  a 
cordial  manner,  who  shook  hands  and  welcomed  us. 
No  notice  had  been  given  of  our  visit,  and  the  Rajah, 
who  is  reclaiming  and  bringing  into  good  cultiva- 
tion much  of  his  land,  and  who  sets  the  example  of 
working  with  his  own  hands,  was  in  a checked  shirt, 
and  a common,  checked,  red  sarong.  Vulgarity  is 
surely 'a  disease  of  the  West  alone,  though,  as  in 
Japan,  one  sees  that  it  can  be  contagious,  and  this 
Oriental,  far  from  apologizing  for  his  deshabille , led 
us  up  the  steep  and  difficult  ladder  by  which  his 
house  is  entered  with  as  much  courteous  ease  as  if 
he  had  been  in  his  splendors. 

I thoroughly  liked  his  house.  It  is  both  fitting 
and  tasteful.  We  stepped  from  the  ladder  into  a 


256 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


long  corridor,  well-matted,  which  led  to  a doorway 
with  a gold-embroidered  silk  or  valance,  and  a looped- 
up  portiere  of  white-flowered  silk  or  crepe.  Thiswas 
the  entrance  to  a small  room  very  well  proportioned, 
with  two  similar  doorways,  curtained  with  flowered 
silk,  one  leading  to  a room  which  we  did  not  see,  and 
the  other  to  a bamboo  gridiron  platform,  which  in 
the  better  class  of  Malay  houses  always  leads  to  a 
smaller  house  at  the  back,  where  cooking  and  other 
domestic  operations  are  carried  on,  and  which 
seems  given  up  to  the  women.  There  was  a rich, 
dim  light  in  the  room,  which  was  cool  and  wain- 
scoted entirely  with  dark  red  wood,  and  there  was 
only  one  long,  low  window,  with  turned  bars  of  the 
same  wood.  There  were  three  handsome  cabinets 
with  hangings  of  gold  and  crimson  embroidery,  and 
an  ebony  frame  containing  a verse  of  the  Koran  in 
Arabic  characters  hung  over  one  doorway.  In  ac- 
cordance with  Mohammedan  prohibitions,  there 
was  no  decoration  which  bore  the  likeness  of  any 
created  thing,  but  there  were  some  artistic  arabes- 
ques under  the  roof.  The  furniture,  besides  the 
cabinets,  consisted  of  a divan,  several  ebony  chairs, 
a round  table  covered  with  a cool  yellow  cloth,  and 
a table  against  the  wall  draped  with  crimson  silk 
flowered  with  gold.  The  floor  was  covered  with 
fine  matting,  over  which  were  Oudh  rugs  in  those 
mixtures  of  toned-down  rich  colors  which  are  so 
very  beautiful.  Richness  and  harmony  charac- 
terized the  room,  and  it  was  distinctively  Malay  ; 


MALA  Y HOSPITALITY. 


257 


one  could  not  say  that  it  reminded  one  of  anything 
except  of  the  flecked  and  colored  light  which 
streams  through  dark,  old,  stained  glass. 

The  Datu  Bandar’s  brother  and  uncle  came  in, 
the  first  a very  handsome  Hadji,  with  a bright,  in- 
telligent countenance.  He  has  lived  in  Mecca  for 
eight  years  studying  the  Koran  under  a renowned 
teacher,  and  in  this  quest  of  Mussulman  learning 
has  spent  several  thousand  dollars.  “ W e never  go 
to  Mecca  to  trade,”  he  said  ; “ we  go  for  religious 
purposes  only.”  These  men  looked  superb  in  their 
red  dresses  and  turbans,  although  the  Malays  are 
anything  but  a handsome  race.  Their  hospitality 
was  very  graceful.  Many  of  the  wealthier  Moham- 
medans, though  they  don’t  drink  wine,  keep  it  for 
their  Christian  guests,  and  they  offered  us  cham- 
pagne, which  is  supposed  to  be  an  irresistible  temp- 
tation to  the  Christian  palate.  On  our  refusing  it 
they  brought  us  cow’s  milk  and  most  delicious  coffee 
with  a very  fragrant  aroma,  and  not  darker  in  color 
than  tea  of  an  average  strength.  This  was  made 
from  roasted  coffee  leaves.  The  berries  are  ex- 
ported. A good  many  pretty,  quiet  children  stood 
about,  but  though  the  Rajah  gave  us  to  understand 
that  they  were  the  offspring  of  three  mothers,  we 
were  not  supposed  to  see  any  of  “ the  mean  ones 
within  the  gates.” 

Our  hosts  had  a good  deal  to  say,  and  did  not 
leave  us  to  entertain  them,  though  we  are  but  “ in- 
fidel dogs.”  That  we  are  regarded  as  such,  along 
17 


258  THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

with  all  other  unbelievers,  always  makes  me  feel  shy 
with  Mohammedans.  Some  time  ago,  when  Cap- 
tain Shaw  pressed  on  the  Malays  the  impropriety 
of  shooting  Chinamen,  as  they  were  then  in  the 
habit  of  doing,  the  reply  of  one  of  them  was,  “ Why 
not  shoot  Chinamen?  they’ve  no  religion;”  and 
though  it  would  be  highly  discourteous  in  members 
of  a ruled  race  to  utter  this  sentiment  regarding 
their  rulers,  I have  not  the  least  doubt  that  it  is 
their  profound  conviction  concerning  ourselves. 

Nothing  shows  more  the  honesty  and  excellence 
of  Captain  Murray’s  purposes  than  that  he  should 
be  as  much  respected  and  loved  as  he  is  in  spite  of 
a manner  utterly  opposed  to  all  Oriental  notions 
of  dignity,  whether  Malay  or  Chinese.  I have 
mentioned  his  abruptness,  as  well  as  his  sailor-like 
heartiness,  but  they  never  came  into  such  strong 
relief  as  at  the  Datu  Bandar’s,  against  the  solemn 
and  dignified  courtesy  of  our  hosts. 

We  returned  after  dark,  had  turtle-soup  and 
turtle-steak,  not  near  so  good  as  veal,  which  it  much 
resembles,  for  dinner;  sang  “ Auld  Lang  Syne,” 
which  brought  tears  into  the  Resident’s  kindly  eyes, 
and  are  now  ready  for  an  early  start  to-morrow. 

Stadthaus,  Malacca. — We  left  Serambang  before 
daylight  on  Thursday  in  buggies,  escorted  by  Cap- 
tain Murray  ; the  buggies,  as  usual,  being  lent  by 
the  Chinese  “ Capitans.”  Horses  had  been  sent  on 
before,  and  after  changing  them  we  drove  the  second 
stage  through  most  magnificent  forest,  until  they 


THE  RETURN  JOURNEY. 


259 

could  no  longer  drag  the  buggies  through  the  mud, 
at  which  point  of  discomfiture  three  saddled  ponies 
and  two  chairs  were  waiting  to  take  us  through  the 
jungle  to  the  river.  We  rode  along  an  infamous 
track,  much  of  it  knee-deep  in  mud,  through  a green 
and  silent  twilight,  till  we  emerged  upon  something 
like  English  park  and  fox-cover  scenery,  varied  by 
Malay  kampongs  under  groves  of  palms.  In  the 
full  blaze  of  noon  we  reached  the  Linggi  police 
station,  from  which  we  had  started  in  the  sampan , 
and  were  received  by  a company  of  police  with  fixed 
bayonets.  We  dined  in  the  police  station  veranda, 
and  as  the  launch  had  been  obliged  to  drop  down 
the  river  because  the  water  was  falling,  we  went  to 
Sempang  in  a native  boat,  paddled  by  four  Malays 
with  paddles  like  oval-ended  spades  with  spade 
handles,  a guard  of  honor  of  policemen  going  down 
with  us.  There  we  took  leave  of  our  most  kind 
and  worthy  host,  who,  with  tears  in  his  kind  eyes, 
immediately  turned  up  the  river  to  dwell  alone  in 
his  bungalow  with  his  bull-dog,  his  revolver,  and  his 
rifle,  a self-exiled  man.  * 


* In  tS8i,  Captain  Murray,  feeling  ill  after  prolonged  exposure  to  the  sun, 
went  to  Malacca,  where  he  died  a few  days  afterward  at  the  house  of  his 
friend  Mr.  Hayward.  Sir  F.  A.  Weld  writes  of  him  in  a dispatch  to  Lord 
Kimberley: — “I  cannot  close  this  notice  of  the  State  of  Sungei  Ujong 
without  recalling  the  memory  of  Captain  Murray,  so  lately  its  Resident,  to 
whom  it  owes  much,  and  who  was  devoted  to  its  people  and  interests.  A 
man  of  great  honesty  of  purpose  and  kindliness  of  heart,  Captain  Murray 
possessed  many  of  those  qualities  which  are  required  for  the  successful  ad- 
ministration of  a Malay  State,  and  though  he  labored  under  the  disadvantage 
of  want  of  knowledge  of  the  native  tongue,  he  yet  was  able  to  attach  to  him- 


26o 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


After  it  grew  dark  we  had  the  splendid  sight  of 
a great  tract  of  forest  on  fire  close  to  the  sea.  We 
landed  here  at  a pier  eight  hundred  feet  long,  ac- 
cessible to  launches  at  high  water,  where  several 
peons  and  two  inspectors  of  police  met  us.  Our 
expedition  has  been  the  talk  of  the  little  foreign 
world  of  Malacca.  We  had  an  enthusiastic  wel- 
come at  Government  House,  but  Captain  Shaw  says 
he  will  never  forgive  himself  for  not  writing  to  Cap- 
tain Murray  in  time  to  arrange  our  transport,  and 
for  sending  us  off  so  hurriedly  with  so  little  food, 
but  I hope  by  reiteration  to  convince  him  that 
thereby  we  gained  the  night  on  the  Linggi  river, 
which,  as  a traveling  experience,  is  worth  all  the 
rest.  I.  L.  B. 


self,  in  a singular  manner,  the  affections  of  all  around  him.  For  the  last  six 
years,  Captain  Murray  has  successfully  advised  in  the  administration  of  the 
Government  of  Sungei  Ujong,  consolidating  order  and  good  government, 
and  doing  much  to  open  out  the  country  and  develop  its  resources.  His 
name  will  ever  be  associated  with  its  prosperity,  and  his  memory  be  long 
fresh  in  the  hearts  of  its  inhabitants.” 


A CHAPTER  ON  SELANGOR. * 


Selangor  is  a small  State  lying  between  2°  34' 
and  30  42'  N.  Its  coast  line  is  about  one  hundred 
and  twenty  miles  in  length.  Perak  is  its  northern 
boundary,  Sungei  Ujong  its  southern,  and  some  of 
the  small  States  of  the  Negri  Sembilan  and  unex- 
plored jungle  and  mountains  separate  it  from  Pa- 
hang on  the  east.  It  is  watered  by  the  Selangor, 
Klang  and  Langat  rivers,  which  rise  in  the  hills  of 
its  eastern  frontier.  Its  population  is  not  accurately 
known,  but  the  result  of  an  attempt  to  estimate  it, 
made  by  the  Resident  in  1876,  is  fifteen  thousand 
Chinese  and  from  two  thousand  to  three  thou- 
sand Malays.  Mr.  Douglas,  the  late  Resident, 
puts  the  Malay  population  at  a higher  figure,  and 
estimates  the  aboriginal  population  at  one  thousand, 


* In  offering  this  very  slight  sketch  of  Selangor  to  my  readers  as  prefatory 
to  the  letters  which  follow,  I desire  to  express  my  acknowledgments  specially 
to  a valuable  paper  on  “ Surveys  and  Explorations  of  the  Native  States  of 
the  Malay  Peninsula,”  by  Mr.  Daly,  Superintendent  of  Public  Works  and 
Surveys,  Selangor,  read  before  the  Royal  Geographical  Society  on  May  8, 
1882.  I have  also  made  use  of  a brief  account  of  the  Native  Malay  States  by 
Mr.  Swettenham,  Assistant  Colonial  Secretary  to  the  Straits  Settlements  Gov- 
ernment, published  in  the  Journal  of  the  Straits  Branch  of  the  Royal  Asi- 
atic Society,  and  of  “ Our  Malay  Conquests  ” by  Sir  P.  Benson  Maxwell, 
late  Chief  Justice  of  the  Straits  Settlements. 


261 


262 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


but  this  is  probably  largely  in  excess  of  their  actual 
numbers. 

The  wealth  of  Selangor  lies  in  its  apparently  in- 
exhaustible tin  mines.  The  range  of  hills  which 
forms  the  backbone  of  the  Malay  Peninsula  rises  in 
places  to  a height  of  seven  thousand  feet,  and  it  is 
from  this  range  that  the  alluvial  detritus  is  washed 
down,  beneath  which  is  deposited  the  layer  of  ore 
or  wash,  which  varies  from  four  inches  to  ten  feet  in 
thickness.  The  supply  of  this  ore  is  apparently  in- 
exhaustible, but  no  veins  have  as  yet  been  found. 
The  mine  of  Ampagnan  only,  near  Kwala  Lumpor, 
the  capital,  gives  employment  to  over  one  thousand 
Chinamen,  and  each  can  extract  in  a year  one  thou- 
sand pounds  weight  of  white  smelted  tin,  valued  at 
^35  sterling.  This  mineral  wealth  is  the  magnet 
which,  according  as  the  price  of  tin  is  higher  or 
lower,  attracts  into  Selangor  more  or  fewer  China- 
men. The  chief  source  of  the  revenue  of  the  State 
has  been  the  export  duty  on  tin. 

The  low  lands  on  the  coast  are  fringed  with  man- 
groves,  which  thrive  in  blue  mud  and  heavy  clays, 
and  these  lands,  when  drained,  are  well  adapted  for 
sugar.  W et  rice  grows  well  in  the  swampy  valleys 
which  separate  the  minor  ranges,  and  dry  rice  on 
the  rises  ; while  tapioca,  tobacco,  pepper  and  gam- 
bier  thrive  on  the  medium  heights.  The  sago  palm 
flourishes  on  wet  lands.  The  high  hills  are  cov- 
ered with  primeval  forests,  and  the  Malays  have 
neither  settlements  nor  plantations  upon  them.  It  is 


NATURAL  CAPABILITIES.  2 6 3 

believed  that  these  hills,  at  a height  of  from  two  thou- 
sand five  hundred  to  three  thousand  five  hundred 
feet,  are  admirably  adapted  for  the  growth  of  Ara- 
bian coffee,  cinchona  and  tea;  and  some  Ceylon 
coffee  planters  are  expecting  an  era  of  success  in 
Selangor.  At  present,  however,  the  necessary 
labor  is  not  available.  The  soil  in  the  interior  on 
the  mountain  slopes  consists  of  a light  red  and  yel- 
low clay,  the  product  of  a comparatively  recent  rock 
decomposition,  covered  with  vegetable  mould  from 
eight  to  twelve  inches  thick.  There  are  no 
droughts,  and  the  rain-fall,  distributed  pretty  fairly 
over  the  year,  averages  about  one  hundred  and 
thirty  inches  annually.  The  climate  is  remarkably 
healthy,  and  diseases  of  locality  are  unknown. 
Land  can  be  purchased  for  eight  shillings  per  acre 
on  terms  of  deferred  payments. 

One  curious  feature  of  Selangor,  as  of  Perak,  is 
the  occurrence  of  isolated  hills  of  limestone  varying 
from  eighty  to  one  thousand  feet  in  height.  At 
Batu  there  are  magnificent  limestone  caves,  richly 
adorned  with  stalactites  and  stalagmites.  The 
dome  of  one  cavern  is  three  hundred  and  fifty-five 
feet  from  floor  to  roof.  An  important  fact  con- 
nected with  these  caverns  is  that  they  contain 
thousands  of  tons  of  bats’  manure,  which  may  be 
as  valuable  as  guano  to  future  planters.  Between 
the  heavy  clays  and  blue  mud  of  the  mangrove 
swamps  and  the  granite  and  sandstone  of  the 
mountain  ranges,  the  undulating  rises  are  mainly 


264 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


composed  of  red  clay,  sandstones,  shales,  and  granit- 
ic and  feldspathic  rocks,  with  extensive  deposits  of 
laterite  in  red  clays  on  the  surface.  In  the  valleys 
along  the  rivers  the  soil  consists  of  rich  alluvial 
deposits. 

Undoubtedly  Selangor  has  great  capabilities,  and 
if  the  difficulties  of  the  labor  question  can  be  satis- 
factorily disposed  of,  it  is  likely  that  the  new  offer 
of  leases  for  nine  hundred  and  ninety-nine  years, 
subject  to  improvement  clauses,  will  attract  a num- 
ber of  planters  to  its  fertile  soil  and  wholesome 
climate.  Selangor  includes  three  large  districts, 
each  on  a considerable  river  of  its  own — Selangor, 
Klang,  and  Langat. 

The  Sultan  was  actually,  as  he  is  now  nominally, 
supreme,  but  the  story  of  disturbances  under  this 
government  is  a very  old  one,  internal  strife  having 
been  the  normal  condition  of  the  State  ever  since 
Europeans  have  been  acquainted  with  it.  It  seems 
to  have  been  an  undoubted  fact  that  its  rivers  and 
island  channels  were  the  resort  of  pirates,  and  that 
its  Rajahs  devoted  themselves  with  much  success  to 
harrying  small  vessels  trading  in  the  Straits  of 
Malacca. 

The  name  of  this  State  is  not  found  in  the  earlier 
Malayan  records.  Negri  Calang,  or  the  land  of 
tin,  was  the  designation  of  this  part  of  the  penin- 
sula, and  this  depopulated  region  was  formerly  a 
flourishing  dependency  under  the  Malay  sovereigns 
of  Malacca.  The  population,  such  as  it  is,  is  chiefly 


LAWLESSNESS  IN  SELANGOR.  265 

composed  of  the  descendants  of  a colony  of  Bugis 
from  Goa  in  the  Celebes,  who  settled  in  Selangor 
at  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century  under 
a Goa  chief,  who  was  succeeded  by  Sultan  Ibrahim, 
an  intense  hater  and  sturdy  opponent  of  the  Dutch. 
He  attacked  Malacca,  looted  and  burned  its  sub- 
urbs, and  would  have  captured  it  but  for  the  oppor- 
tune arrival  of  a Dutch  fleet.  He  surprised  the 
Dutch  garrison  of  Selangor  by  night,  routed  it,  and 
captured  all  its  heavy  artillery  and  ammunition, 
but  was  afterward  compelled  to  restore  his  plunder, 
and  acknowledge  himself  a vassal  of  the  Dutch 
East  India  Company.  After  this  he  attacked  the 
Siamese,  and  was  mainly  instrumental  in  driving 
them  out  of  Perak. 

He  was  succeeded  in  1826  by  an  ignoble  prince, 
and  under  his  weak  and  oppressive  rule,  and  under 
the  extortions  and  cruelties  of  his  illegitimate 
brothers,  the  State  lapsed  into  decay.  Mr.  New- 
bold,  who  had  charge  of  a military  post  on  the 
Selangor  frontier  in  1833,  witnessed  many  of  the 
atrocities  perpetrated  by  these  Bugis  princes,  who 
committed  piracies,  robbed,  plundered,  and  levied 
contributions  on  the  wretched  Malays,  without 
hindrance.  In  Mr.  Newbold’s  day  the  whole  popu- 
lation of  Kwala  Linggi,  where  he  was  stationed, 
fled  by  night  into  the  Malacca  territory,  where  they 
afterward  settled  to  escape  from  the  merciless  ex- 
actions to  which  they  were  subjected.  Slavery  and 
debt  slavery  added  to  the  miseries  of  the  country, 


266 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


and  it  is  believed  that  by  emigration  and  other 
causes  the  Malay  population  was  reduced  to  between 
two  thousand  and  three  thousand  souls. 

Only  one  event  in  the  recent  history  of  Selangor 
deserves  notice.  This  miserable  ruler,  Sultan  Mo- 
hammed, had  no  legitimate  offspring,  but  it  was 
likely  that  at  his  death  his  near  relation,  Tuanku 
Bongsu,  a Rajah  universally  liked  and  respected  by 
his  countrymen,  would  have  been  elected  to  succeed 
him.  Unfortunately  for  the  good  of  the  State  this 
Rajah  took  upon  himself  the  direction  of  the  tin 
mines  at  Lukut,  formerly  worked  by  about  four 
hundred  Chinese  miners  on  their  own  account,  pay- 
ing a tenth  of  their  produce  to  the  Sultan.  One 
dark,  rainy  night  in  September,  1834,  these  miners 
rose  upon  their  employers,  burned  their  houses,  and 
massacred  them  indiscriminately,  including  this  en- 
lightened Rajah ; and  his  wife  and  children,  in 
attempting  to  escape,  were  thrown  into  the  flames 
of  their  house.  The  plunder  obtained  by  the  Chi- 
nese, exclusive  of  the  jewels  and  gold  ornaments  of 
the  women,  was  estimated  at  ^3, 500.  This  very 
atrocious  business  was  believed  to  have  been  aided 
and  abetted,  if  not  absolutely  concocted,  by  Chinese 
merchants  living  under  the  shelter  of  the  British 
flag  at  Malacca.  With  the  death  of  Tuanku  Bongsu 
all  hope  of  prosperity  for  Selangor  under  native 
rule  was  extinguished. 

Matters  became  very  bad  in  the  years  between 
1867  and  1873,  the  fighting  among  the  rival  fac- 


ADVENT  OF  THE  BRITISH. 


267 


tions  leading  to  a more  complete  depopulation  of 
the  country,  not  only  by  the  loss  in  party  fights,  but 
by  the  exodus  of  peaceable  cultivators.  Lawless- 
ness increased  to  such  an  extent  that  murders  and 
robberies  were  of  continual  occurrence.  Mr.  Swet- 
tenham,  the  Assistant  Colonial  Secretary,  affirms 
that  it  is  hardly  an  exaggeration  to  say  that  every 
man  above  twenty  years  old  had  killed  at  least  one 
man,  and  that  even  the  women  were  not  unaccus- 
tomed to  use  deadly  weapons  against  each  other. 

The  history  of  the  way  in  which  we  gained  a foot- 
ing in  Selangor  is  a tangled  one,  as  the  story  is  told 
quite  differently  by  men  holding  high  positions  in 
the  Colonial  Government,  who  unquestionably  are 
“all  honorable  men.”  Our  first  appearance  on  the 
scene  was  in  1871,  when  the  Rinaldo  destroyed 
Selangor,  for  reasons  which  will  be  found  in  the 
succeeding  letter.  In  November,  1873,  an  act  °f 
piracy  was  committed  on  the  Jugra  river  near  the 
Sultan’s  residence.  On  this  Sir  A.  Clarke,  the 
Governor  of  the  Straits  Settlements,  with  a portion 
of  H.  B.  M.’s  China  fleet,  went  to  Langfat  and 
induced  the  Sultan  to  appoint  a court  to  try  the 
pirates,  three  of  the  ships  and  two  Government 
Commissioners  remaining  to  watch  the  trial.  The 
prisoners  were  executed,  the  war-ships  patroled  the 
coast  for  a time,  and  everything  became  quiet. 

In  1874,  however,  there  were  new  disturbances 
and  alleged  piracies,  and  Tunku  Dia  Udin,  the  Sul- 
tan’s son-in-law  and  viceroy,  overmatched  by  pow- 


268 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


erful  Rajahs,  gladly  welcomed  an  official,  who  was 
sent  by  Sir  A.  Clarke,  “ to  remain  with  the  Sultan 
should  he  desire  it,  and,  by  his  presence  and  advice 
give  him  confidence,  and  assistance  to  carry  out  the 
promises  which  he  had  made,”  which  were,  in  brief, 
to  suppress  piracy  and  keep  good  order  in  his  do- 
minions; not  a difficult  task,  it  might  be  supposed, 
for  it  is  estimated  that  he  had  only  about  two  thou- 
sand Malay  subjects  left,  and  the  Chinese  miners 
were  under  the  efficient  rule  of  their  “ Capitan,”  Ah 
Loi. 

In  January,  1875,  at  Tunku  Dia  Udin’s  request, 
a British  Resident  was  sent  to  Selangor.  Some 
time  afterward  the  viceroy  retired  to  Kedah,  and 
the  Sultan  has  been  “ advised”  into  a sort  of  pen- 
sioned retirement,  the  Resident  levying,  collecting, 
and  expending  the  taxes.  Sir  Andrew  Clarke  was 
very  fortunate  in  his  selection  of  the  Sultan’s  first 
adviser,  for  Mr.  Davidson,  according  to  all  accounts, 
had  an  intimate  knowledge  of  the  Malays,  as  well 
as  a wise  consideration  for  them  ; he  had  a calm 
temper  and  much  good  sense,  and  is  held  in  hon- 
orable remembrance,  not  only  for  official  efficiency 
but  for  having  gained  the  sincere  regard  of  the 
people  of  Selangor.  His  legal  training  and  high 
reputation  in  the  colonial  courts  were  of  great  value 
in  the  settlement  of  the  many  difficult  questions 
which  arose  during  his  brief  administration.  He 
was  succeeded  in  1876  by  Mr.  Bloomfield  Douglas, 
who  has  held  the  office  of  Resident  for  six  years. 


A HOPEFUL  OUTLOOK'. 


269 


The  revenue  of  Selangor  amounted  in  1881  to 
^47,045,  derived  mainly  from  the  export  duty  on 
tin,  the  import  duty  on  opium,  and  the  letting  of 
opium  and  other  licenses  and  farms.  The  expendi- 
ture was  ,£46,876,  the  heaviest  items  being  for  “es- 
tablishments,” “pensions,”  and  “works  and  build- 
ings.” 

The  outlook  for  Selangor  appears  to  be  a peace- 
ful one,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that,  under  the  ener- 
getic administration  of  Sir  F.  A.  Weld,  its  capabil- 
ities will  be  developed  and  its  anomalies  of  law  and 
taxation  reformed,  and  that  both  Malays  and  for- 
eigners may  experience  those  advantages  of  good 
order  and  security  which  result  from  a just  rule. 


LETTER  XIV. 


S.  S.  “Rainbow,”  Malacca  Roads, 
February  i,  5 p.m. 

I am  once  again  on  board  this  quaint  little  Chi- 
nese steamer,  which  is  rolling  on  a lazy  ground- 
swell  on  the  heated,  shallow  sea.  We  were  to  have 
sailed  at  four  p.m.,  but  mat-sailed  boats,  with  cargoes 
of  Chinese,  Malays,  fowls,  pine-apples,  and  sugar- 
cane, kept  coming  off  and  delaying  us.  The  little 
steamer  has  long  ago  submerged  her  load-line,  and 
is  only  about  ten  inches  above  the  water,  and  still 
they  load,  and  still  the  mat-sailed  boats  and  eight- 
paddled  boats,  with  two  red-clothed  men  facing 
forward  on  each  thwart,  are  disgorging  men  and 
goods  into  the  overladen  craft.  A hundred  and 
thirty  men,  mostly  Chinese,  with  a sprinkling  of 
Javanese  and  Malays,  are  huddled  on  the  little  deck, 
with  goats  and  buffaloes,  and  forty  coops  of  fowls 
and  ducks  ; the  fowls  and  ducks  cackling  and  quack- 
ing, and  the  Chinese  clattering  at  the  top  of  their 
voices — such  a Babel  ! 

An  hour  later,  “ Easy  ahead,’’  shouts  the  Portu- 
guese-Malay  captain,  for  the  Rainbow  is  only  li- 
censed for  one  hundred  passengers,  and  the  water 
runs  in  at  the  scuppers  as  she  rolls,  but  five  of  the 

270 


SUNSET  AT  MALACCA. 


271 


mat-sailed  boats  have  hooked  on.  “ Run  ahead  1 
full  speed!”  the  captain  shouts  in  English;  he 
dances  with  excitement,  and  screams  in  Malay  ; the 
Chinamen  are  climbing  up  the  stern,  over  the  bul- 
warks, everywhere,  fairly  boarding  us ; and  with 
about  a hundred  and  fifty  souls  on  board,  and  not 
a white  man  or  a Christian  among  them,  we  steam 
away  over  the  gaudy  water  into  the  gaudy  sunset, 
and  beautiful,  dreamy,  tropical  Malacca,  with  its 
palm-fringed  shores,  and  its  colored  streets,  and 
Mount  Ophir  with  its  golden  history,  and  the  stately 
Stadthaus,  whose  ancient  rooms  have  come  to  seem 
almost  like  my  property,  are  passing  into  memories. 
A gory  ball  drops  suddenly  from  a gory  sky  into  a 
flaming  sea,  and 

“ With  one  stride  comes  the  dark.” 

There  is  no  place  for  me  except  on  this  little 
bridge,  on  which  the  captain  and  I have  just 
had  an  excellent  dinner,  with  hen-coops  for  seats. 
These  noisy  fowls  are  now  quiet  in  the  darkness, 
but  the  noisier  Chinese  are  still  bawling  at  the  top 
of  their  voices.  It  is  too  dark  for  another  line. 

British  Residency , Klang  Selangor. — You  will 
not  know  where  Klang  is,  and  I think  you  won’t 
find  it  in  any  atlas  or  encyclopedia.  Indeed,  I 
almost  doubt  whether  you  will  find  Selangor,  the 
Malay  State  of  which  Klang  is,  after  a fashion,  the 
capital.  At  present  I can  tell  you  very  little. 

Selangor  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  “ pro- 


272 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


tected  ” State  of  Perak,  which  became  notorious  in 
England  a few  years  ago  for  a “ little  war,”  in 
which  we  inflicted  a very  heavy  chastisement  on 
the  Malays  for  the  assassination  of  Mr.  Birch,  the 
British  Resident.  It  has  on  its  south  and  south- 
east Sungei  Ujong,  Jelabu,  and  Pahang;  but  its 
boundaries  in  these  directions  are  ill-defined.  The 
Strait  of  Malacca  bounds  it  on  the  west,  and  its 
coast-line  is  about  a hundred  and  twenty  miles 
long.  From  its  slightly  vague  interior  boundary 
to  the  coast,  it  is  supposed  to  preserve  a tolerably 
uniform  depth  of  from  fifty  to  sixty  miles.  Klang  is 
on  the  Klang  river,  in  lat.  3'  3'  N.,  and  long.  ioi° 
29'  30"  E.  I call  it  “ the  Capital  after  a fashion,” 
because  the  Resident  and  his  myrmidons  live  here, 
and  because  vessels  which  draw  thirteen  feet  of 
water  can  go  no  higher ; but  the  true  capital,  cre- 
ated by  the  enterprise  of  Chinamen,  is  thirty-six 
miles  farther  inland,  the  tin-mining  settlement  of 
Kwala  Lumpor.  Selangor  thrives,  if  it  does  thrive, 
which  I greatly  doubt,  on  tin  and  gutta  ; but  Klang 
is  a most  misthriven,  decayed,  dejected,  miserable- 
looking  place.*  The  nominal  ruler  of  Selangor  is 
Sultan  Abdul  Samat,  but  he  hybernates  on  a pen- 
sion at  Langat,  a long  way  off,  and  must  be  nearly 
obliterated,  I think. 

It  is  a great  change  from  Malacca  in  every  re- 
spect. I left  it  with  intense  regret.  Hospitality, 

* Kwala  Lumpor  is  now  the  most  important  mining  entrepot  in  Selangor, 
and  in  1880  the  British  Resident  and  his  staff  were  removed  thither. 


NIGHT  ON  THE  "RAINBOW. 


*■  / o 


kindness,  most  genial  intercourse,  and  its  own  semi- 
mediaeval  and  tropical  fascinations,  made  it  one  of 
the  brightest  among  the  many  bright  spots  of  my 
wanderings.  Mr.  Hayward  took  me  to  the  Rain- 
bow in  a six-oared  boat,  manned  by  six  policemen, 
completing  the  list  of  “ Government  facilities  ” as 
far  as  Malacca  is  concerned.  The  mercury  was 
90°  in  my  little  cabin  or  den,  and  it  swarmed  not 
only  with  mosquitoes,  but  with  cockroaches,  which, 
in  the  dim  light,  looked  as  large  as  mice.  Of 
course,  no  one  sleeps  below  in  the  tropics  who  can 
avoid  it ; so  as  the  deck  was  thick  with  China- 
men, I had  my  mattress  laid  on  a bench  on  the 
bridge,  which  was  only  occupied  by  two  Malay 
look-out  men.  There  is  not  very  much  comfort 
when  one  leaves  the  beaten  tracks  of  travel,  but 
any  loss  is  far  more  than  made  up  for  by  the  in- 
tense enjoyment. 

It  was  a delightful  night.  The  moon  was  only 
a hemisphere,  yet  I think  she  gave  more  light  than 
ours  at  the  full.  The  night  was  so  exquisite  that  I 
was  content  to  rest  without  sleeping ; the  Babel 
noises  of  fowls  and  men  had  ceased,  and  there  were 
only  quiet  sounds  of  rippling  water,  and  the  occa- 
sional cry  of  a sea-bird  as  we  slipped  through  the 
waveless  sea.  When  the  moon  set,  the  sky  was 
wonderful  with  its  tropic  purple  and  its  pavement 
and  dust  of  stars.  I have  become  quite  fond  of  the 
Southern  Cross,  and  don’t  wonder  that  the  early 

navigators  prostrated  themselves  on  deck  when 
18 


2 74  THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

they  first  saw  it.  It  is  not  an  imposing  constella- 
tion, but  it  is  on  a part  of  the  sky  which  is  not 
crowded  with  stars,  and  it  always  lies  aslant  and  ob- 
vious. It  has  become  to  me  as  much  a friend  as 
is  the  Plough  of  the  northern  regions. 

At  daybreak  the  next  morning  we  were  steaming 
up  the  Klang  river,  whose  low  shores  are  entirely 
mangrove  swamps,  and  when  the  sun  was  high  and 
hot  we  anchored  in  front  of  the  village  of  Klang, 
where  a large  fort  on  an  eminence,  with  grass  em- 
bankments in  which  guns  are  mounted,  is  the  first 
prominent  object.  Above  this  is  a large  wooden 
bungalow  with  an  attap  roof,  which  is  the  British 
Residency.  There  was  no  air,  and  the  British 
ensign  in  front  of  the  house  hung  limp  on  the  flag- 
staff. Below  there  is  a village,  with  clusters  of 
Chinese  houses  on  the  ground,  and  Malay  houses 
on  stilts,  standing  singly,  with  one  or  two  Govern- 
ment offices  bulking  largely  among  them.  A sub- 
stantial flight  of  stone  steps  leads  from  the  river  to 
a skeleton  jetty  with  an  attap  roof,  and  near  it  a 
number  of  attap- roofed  boats  were  lying,  loaded 
with  slabs  of  tin  from  the  diggings  in  the  interior, 
to  be  transhipped  to  Pinang.  A dainty  steam- 
launch,  the  Abdulsamat , nominally  the  Sultan’s 
yacht,  flying  a large  red  and  yellow  flag,  was  also 
lying  in  the  river. 

Mr.  Bloomfield  Douglas,  the  Resident,  a tall, 
vigorous,  elderly  man,  with  white  hair,  a florid  com- 
plexion, and  a strong  voice  heard  everywhere  in 


THE  RESIDENCY  OF  KLANG. 


275 


authoritative  tones,  met  me  with  a four-oared  boat, 
and  a buggy  with  a good  Australian  horse  brought 
me  here.  From  this  house  there  is  a large  but  not 
a beautiful  view  of  river  windings,  rolling  jungle, 
and  blue  hills.  The  lower  part  of  the  house,  which 
is  supported  on  pillars,  is  mainly  open,  and  is  used 
for  billiard-room,  church,  lounging-room,  afternoon 
tea-room,  and  audience-room  ; but  I see  nothing  of 
the  friendly,  easy-going  to  and  fro  of  Chinese  and 
Malays,  which  was  a pleasant  feature  of  the  Resi- 
dency in  Sungei  Ujong.  In  fact,  there  is  here  much 
of  the  appearance  of  an  armed  post  amidst  a hostile 
population.  In  front  of  the  Residency  there  is  a 
six-pounder  flanked  by  two  piles  of  shot.  Behind 
it  there  is  a guard-room,  with  racks  of  rifles  and 
bayonets  for  the  Resident’s  body-guard  of  twelve 
men,  and  quarters  for  the  married  soldiers,  for 
soldiers  they  are,  though  they  are  called  policemen. 
A gong  hangs  in  front  of  the  porch  on  which  to 
sound  the  alarm,  and  a hundred  men  fully  armed 
can  turn  out  at  five  minutes’  notice. 

The  family  consists  of  the  Resident,  his  wife,  a 
dignified  and  gracious  woman,  with  a sweet  but 
plaintive  expression  of  countenance,  and  an  afflicted 
daughter,  on  whom  her  mother  attends  with  a loving, 
vigilant,  and  ceaseless  devotion  of  a most  pathetic 
kind.  The  circle  is  completed  by  a handsome  black 
monkey  tied  to  a post,  and  an  ape  which  they  call 
an  ouf,  from  the  solitary  monosyllable  which  it 
utters,  but  which  I believe  to  be  the  “ agile  gibbon,” 


2/6 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


a creature  so  delicate  that  it  has  never  yet  survived 
a voyage  to  England. 

It  is  a beautiful  creature.  I could  “put  off” 
hours  of  time  with  it.  It  walks  on  its  hind  leg's 
with  a curious  human  walk,  hanging  its  long  arms 

down  by  its  sides  like  B . It  will  walk  quietly 

by  your  side  like  another  person.  It  has  nice  dark 
eyes,  with  well-formed  lids  like  ours,  a good  nose, 
a human  mouth  with  very  nice  white  teeth,  and  a 
very  pleasant  cheery  look  when  it  smiles,  but  when 
its  face  is  at  rest  the  expression  is  sad  and  wistful. 
It  spends  a good  deal  of  its  time  in  swinging  itself 
most  energetically.  It  has  very  pretty  fingers  and 
finger-nails.  It  looks  fearfully  near  of  kin  to  us, 
and  yet  the  gulf  is  measureless.  It  can  climb  any- 
where, and  take  long  leaps.  This  morning  it  went 
into  a house  in  which  a cluster  of  bananas  is  hang- 
ing,  leaped  up  to  the  roof,  and  in  no  time  had 
peeled  two,  which  it  ate  very  neatly.  It  has  not 
even  a rudimentary  tail.  When  it  sits  with  its 
arms  folded  it  looks  like  a gentlemanly  person  in  a 
close-fitting  fur  suit. 

The  village  of  Klang  is  not  interesting.  It  looks 
like  a place  which  has  “ seen  better  days,”  and  does 
not  impress  one  favorably  as  regards  the  prosperity 
of  the  State.  Above  it  the  river  passes  through 
rich  alluvial  deposits,  well  adapted  for  sugar,  rice, 
and  other  products  of  low-lying  tropical  lands  ; but 
though  land  can  be  purchased  on  a system  of  de- 
ferred payments  for  two  dollars  an  acre,  these  lands 


THE  DECAY  OF  KLANG. 


277 


are  still  covered  with  primeval  jungle.  Steam- 
launches  and  flattish-bottomed  native  boats  go  up 
the  river  eighteen  miles  farther  to  a village  called 
Damarsara,  from  which  a good  country  road  has 
been  made  to  the  great  Chinese  village  and  tin- 
mines  of  Kwala  Lumpor.  The  man-eating  tigers, 
which  almost  until  now  infested  the  old  jungle 
track,  have  been  driven  back,  and  plantations  of 
tobacco,  tapioca,  and  rice  have  been  started  along 
the  road.  On  a single  Chinese  plantation,  near 
Kwala  Lumpor,  there  are  over  two  thousand  acres 
of  tapioca  under  cultivation,  and  the  enterprising 
Chinaman  who  owns  it  has  imported  European 
steam  machinery  for  converting  the  tapioca  roots 
into  the  marketable  article.  Whatever  enterprise 
I hear  of  in  the  interior  is  always  in  the  hands  of 
Chinamen.  Klang  looks  as  if  an  incubus  oppressed 
it,  and  possibly  the  Chinese  are  glad  to  be  as  far  as 
possible  from  the  seat  of  what  impresses  me  as  a 
fussy  Government.  At  all  events,  Klang,  from 
whatever  cause,  has  a blighted  look  ; and  deserted 
houses  rapidly  falling  into  decay,  overgrown  roads, 
fields  choked  with  weeds,  and  an  absence  of  life  and 
traffic  in  the  melancholy  streets,  have  a depressing 
influence.  The  people  are  harassed  by  a vexatious 
and  uncertain  system  of  fees  and  taxes,  calculated 
to  engender  ill  feeling,  and  things  connected  with 
the  administration  seem  somewhat  “ mixed.” 

You  will  be  almost  tired  of  the  Chinese,  but  the 
more  I see  of  them  the  more  I am  impressed  by 


278 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


them.  These  States,  as  well  as  Malacca,  would  be 
jungles  with  a few  rice  clearings  among  them  were 
it  not  for  their  energy  and  industry.  Actually  the 
leading  man,  not  only  at  Kwala  Lumpor  (now  the 
seat  of  government),  but  in  Selangor,  is  Ah  Loi,  a 
Chinaman  ! During  the  disturbances  before  we 
“advised”  the  State,  the  Malays  burned  the  town 
of  Kwala  Lumpor  three  times,  and  he  rebuilt  it,  and, 
in  spite  of  many  disasters  stuck  to  it  at  the  earnest 
request  of  the  native  government.  He  has  made 
long  roads  for  the  purpose  of  connecting  the  most 
important  of  the  tin  mines  with  the  town.  His 
countrymen  place  implicit  confidence  in  him,  and 
Mr.  Syers,  the  admirable  superintendent  of  police, 
tells  me  that  by  his  influence  and  exertions  he  has 
so  successfully  secured  peace  and  order  in  his  town 
and  district  that  during  many  years  not  a single 
serious  crime  has  been  committed.  He  employs  on 
his  estate — in  mines,  brickfields,  and  plantations — - 
over  four  thousand  men.  He  has  the  largest  tapioca 
estate  in  the  country  and  the  best  machinery.  He 
has  introduced  the  manufacture  of  bricks,  has  pro- 
vided the  sick  with  an  asylum,  has  been  loyal  to 
British  interests,  has  been  a most  successful  admin- 
istrator in  the  populous  district  intrusted  to  him, 
and  has  dispensed  justice  to  the  complete  satisfac- 
tion of  his  countrymen.  While  he  is  the  creator 
of  the  commercial  interests  of  Selangor,  he  is  a man 
of  large  aims  and  of  an  enlightened  public  spirit. 
Is  there  no  decoration  of  St.  Michael  or  St.  George 


THEATRICAL  MAGNIFICENCE. 


2/9 


in  reserve  for  Ah  Loi  ? * So  far,  however,  from 
receiving  any  suitable  recognition  of  his  services, 
it  is  certain  that  Ah  Loi’s  claims  for  compensation 
for  losses,  etc.,  have  not  yet  been  settled. 

Klang  does  not  improve  on  further  acquaintance. 
It  looks  as  if  half  the  houses  were  empty,  and  cer- 
tainly half  the  population  is  composed  of  Govern- 
ment employes,  chiefly  police  constables.  There  is 
no  air  of  business  energy,  and  the  queerly  mixed 
population  saunters  with  limp  movements  ; even  the 
few  Chinese  look  depressed,  as  if  life  were  too  much 
for  them.  It  looks  too  as  if  there  were  a need  for 


* Three  months  after  my  visit,  Ah  Loi  received  the  Sultan  of  Selangor  for 
several  days  with  great  magnificence,  and  in  July,  1880,  he  entertained  the 
Governor  of  the  Straits  Settlements  and  his  suite  with  yet  greater  splendor, 
erecting  for  the  occasion  a fine  banqueting-hall  with  open  sides. 

Sir  F.  A.  Weld  writes  of  this  visit — “At  Kwala  Lumpor,  besides  the  re- 
ception and  a dinner  at  the  Capitan  China’s,  a Chinese  theatrical  performance 
was  given  representing  a sultan  and  great  rajahs  quarreling,  but  laying  aside 
their  quarrels  on  the  appearance  of  a ‘ governor,’ who  pacifies  the  country. 
Addresses  and  odes  were  also  sung  and  recited  to  me  from  the  stage,  and  the 
performers  representing  the  great  personages  prostrated  themselves  and  made 
obeisances.  The  dresses  were  all  real  hand-worked  gold  and  silver  embroid- 
ery on  thick  silks  of  the  richest  colors.  The  princes  were  attended  by  their 
warriors,  some  of  whose  helmets  and  arms  were  magnificent,  with  banners 
and  feather  standards,  and  coats  of  arms,  or  their  equivalents,  borne  aloft  by 
heralds  ; ladies  also  appeared,  one  a prima-donna,  other  actresses  rode  hobby- 
horses, only  the  head  of  the  woman  and  hobby-horse  being  visible  in  the 
clouds  of  silk  and  gold.  Jesters  jested  ; and  tumblers,  in  blue,  loose  tunics 
and  wide  scarlet  trousers,  shot  across  the  stage  when  there  was  any  room  in 
front  of  the  crowd  of  actors  with  the  rapidity  of  meteors.  The  pace  was  too 
gfreat  to  be  even  sure  that  they  were  human  beings.  I have  seen  Kean’s 
Shakespearian  revival  pageants  formerly  in  London,  but  I never  realized 
what  a mediaeval  court  pageant  might  have  been  till  in  the  heart  of  the  Malay 
Peninsula  I saw  the  most  gorgeous  combination  of  color  and  picturesque 
effect  that  I have  ever  set  eyes  upon.” 


28o 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


holding  down  the  population  (which  I am  sure  there 
isn’t),  for  in  addition  to  the  fort  and  its  barracks, 
military  police  stations  are  dotted  about.  A jail, 
with  a very  high  wall,  is  in  the  middle  of  the  village. 

The  jungle  comes  so  near  to  Klang  that  tigers 
and  herds  of  elephants,  sometimes  forty  strong,  have 
been  seen  within  half  a mile  of  it.  In  Sungei  Ujong 
there  was  some  excitement  about  a “ rosme  ele- 

o 

phant  ” (i.c. , an  elephant  which  for  reasons  which 
appear  good  to  other  elephants,  has  been  expelled 
from  the  herd,  and  has  been  made  mad  and  savage 
by  solitude),  which,  after  killing  two  men,  has  crossed 
the  river  into  Selangor,  and  is  man-killing  here.  A 
few  days  ago  a man  catching  sight  of  him  in  the 
jungle  took  refuge  in  a tree,  and  the  brute  tore  the 
tree  down  with  its  trunk,  and  trampled  the  poor 
fellow  to  death,  his  companion  escaping  during  the 
process. 

Yesterday  evening  we  had  service  in  the  hall,  the 
whole  white  population  being  “rounded  up”  for  it; 
seven  men  and  two  women,  three  of  whom  are 
Roman  Catholics.  The  congregation  sat  under  one 
punkah  and  the  Resident  under  another,  both  being 
worked  by  bigoted  Mohammedans  ! Everything 
was  “ship-shape,”  as  becomes  Mr.  Douglas’s  ante- 
cedents ; a union  jack  over  the  desk,  from  which 
the  liturgy  was  read,  and  a tiger-skin  over  the  tiles 
in  front,  the  harmonium  well  played,  the  singing 
and  chanting  excellent.  We  had  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  of  the  Ambrosian  hymns,  and  possibly 


AN  EQUATORIAL  JUNGLE  STREAM. 


“A  COBRA!  A COBRA! 


28l 


Dr.  Bonar  may  like  to  hear  that  his  hymn,  “ I heard 
the  voice  of  Jesus  say,”  was  sung  with  equal  enjoy- 
ment by  Catholics  and  Protestants  in  the  wilds  of 
the  Golden  Chersonese. 

There  is  an  almost  daily  shower  here,  and  it  is 
lovely  now,  with  a balmy  freshness  in  the  air.  No 
one  could  imagine  that  we  are  in  the  torrid  zone, 
and  only  3°  from  the  equator.  The  mercury  has 
not  been  above  83°  since  I came,  and  the  sea  and 
land  breezes  are  exquisitely  delicious.  I wish  you 
could  see  a late  afternoon  here  in  its  full  beauty, 
with  palms  against  a golden  sky,  pink  clouds,  a pink 
river,  and  a balm-breathing  air,  just  strong  enough 
to  lift  the  heavy  scented  flowers  which  make  the 
evenings  delicious.  There  has  been  a respite  from 
mosquitoes,  and  I am  having  a “ real  good  time.” 

But  I had  a great  fright  yesterday  (part  of  the 
“good  time”  though).  I was  going  into  the  gar- 
den when  six  armed  policemen  leapt  past  me  as  if 
they  had  been  shot,  followed  by  Mr.  Daly,  the 
land-surveyor,  who  has  the  V.C.  for  some  brave 
deed,  shouting  “ a cobra  ! a cobra  ! ” and  I saw  a 
hooded  head  above  the  plants,  and  then  the  form  I 
most  fear  and  loathe  twisting  itself  toward  the 
house  with  frightful  rapidity,  every  one  flying.  I 
was  up  a ladder  in  no  time,  and  the  next  moment 
one  of  the  policemen,  plucking  up  courage,  broke  the 
reptile’s  back  with  the  butt  of  his  rifle,  and  soon  it 
was  borne  away,  dead,  by  its  tail.  It  was  over  four 
feet  long.  They  get  about  three  a day  at  the  fort. 


282 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


There  is  a reward  of  20  cents  per  foot  for  every 
venomous  snake  brought  in,  50  cents  per  foot  for 
an  alligator,  and  25  dollars  for  every  tiger.  Lately 
the  police  have  got  two  specimens  of  an  ophiopha- 
gus,  a snake-eating  snake  over  eighteen  feet  long, 
whose  bite  they  say  is  certain  death.  They  have  a 
horrible  collection  of  snakes  alive,  half  dead,  dead, 
and  preserved.  There  was  a fright  of  a different  kind 
late  at  night,  and  the  two  made  me  so  nervous  that 
when  the  moonlight  glinted  two  or  three  times  on 
the  bayonet  of  the  sentry,  which  I could  see  from 
my  bed,  I thought  it  was  a Malay  going  to  murder 
the  Resident,  against  whom  I fear  there  may  be 
many  a vendetta. 


LETTER  XI V .—{Continued) 

•K 

S.  S.  “Abduls  am  at,” 
Langat  River,  S£langor. 

I was  glad  to  get  up  at  sunrise,  when  the  whole 
heaven  was  flooded  with  color  and  glory,  and  the 
lingering  mists  which  lay  here  and  there  over  the 
jungle  gleamed  like  silver.  Before  we  left,  Mrs. 
Douglas  gave  me  tea,  scones,  and  fresh  butter,  the 
first  fresh  butter  that  I have  tasted  for  ten  months. 
We  left  Klang  in  this  beautiful  steam-launch,  the 
(so-called)  yacht  of  the  Sultan,  at  eight,  with  forty 
souls  on  board. 

I am  somewhat  hazy  as  to  where  I am.  “ The 
Langat  river”  is  at  present  to  me  only  a “geo- 
graphical expression.”  It  is  now  past  three  o’clock, 
and  we  have  been  going  about  since  eight,  some- 
times up  rivers,  but  mostly  on  lovely  tropic  seas 
among  islands.  This  is  one  of  the  usual  business 
tours  of  the  Resident,  with  the  additional  object  of 
presenting  a uniform  to  the  Sultan.  Besides  Mr. 
Douglas  there  are  his  son-in-law,  Mr.  Daly  ; Mr. 
Hawley,  who  has  lately  been  appointed  to  a collect- 
orship,  and  who  goes  up  to  be  presented  to  the 
Sultan  ; Mr.  Syers,  formerly  a private  in  the  ioth 
Regiment,  now  superintendent  of  the  Selangor 

283 


284 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE 


police  force  ; and  thirty  policemen,  who  go  up  to 
form  the  Sultan’s  escort  to-morrow.  Precautions, 
for  some  occult  reason,  seem  to  be  considered  in- 
dispensable here,  and  have  been  increased  since 
the  murder  of  Mr.  Lloyd  at  the  Dindings.  The 
yacht  has  a complete  permanent  roof  of  painted 
canvas,  and  under  this  is  an  armament  of  boarding 
pikes.  Round  the  little  foremast  four  cutlasses  and 
a quantity  of  ball  cartridges  are  displayed.  Six 
rifles  are  in  a rack  below,  and  the  policemen  and 
body-guard  are  armed  with  rifles  and  bayonets. 

The  yacht  is  perfection.  The  cabin,  in  which 
ten  can  dine,  is  high  and  airy,  and,  being  forward, 
there  is  no  vibration.  Space  is  exquisitely  utilized 
by  all  manner  of  contrivances.  She  is  only  50  tons, 
and  very  low  in  the  water,  but  we  are  going  all  the 
way  to  Prince  of  Wales  island  in  her — 200  miles. 
Everything  is  perfect  on  board,  even  to  the  cuisine , 
and  I appreciate  the  low  rattan  chairs  at  the  bow, 
in  which  one  can  sit  in  the  shade  and  enjoy  the 
zephyrs. 

This  day  has  been  a tropic  dream.  I have  en- 
joyed it  and  am  enjoying  it  intensely.  We  steamed 
down  the  Klang  river,  and  then  down  a narrow 
river-like  channel  among  small  palm-fringed  islands 
which  suddenly  opened  upon  the  sea,  which  was 
slightly  green  toward  the  coral-sanded,  densely 
wooded,  unpeopled  shores,  but  westward  the  green 
tint  merged  into  a blue  tint,  which  ever  deepened 
till  a line  of  pure,  deep,  indescribable  blue  cut  the 


ENCHANTED  SEAS. 


285 


blue  sky  on  the  far-off  clear  horizon.  But,  ah  ! 
that  “many  twinkling  smile  of  ocean!”  Words 
cannot  convey  an  idea  of  what  it  is  under  this 
tropic  sun  and  sky,  with  the  “ silver-flashing  wave- 
lets rippling  the  surface  of  the  sapphire  sea,  be- 
neath whose  clear  warm  waters  brilliant  fishes  are 
darting  through  the  coral  groves.  These  are  en- 
chanted seas — 

“ Where  falls  not  rain,  or  hail,  or  any  snow, 

Or  ever  wind  blows  loudly.” 

It  is  unseemly  that  the  Abdzilsamat  should  smoke 
and  puff  and  leave  a foamy  wake  behind  her. 
“ Sails  of  silk  and  ropes  of  sendal,”  and  poetic 
noiseless  movements  only  would  suit  these  lovely 
Malacca  Straits.  This  is  one  of  the  very  few  days 
in  my  life  in  which  I have  felt  mere  living  to  be  a 
luxury,  and  what  it  is  to  be  akin  to  seas  and  breezes, 
and  birds  and  insects,  and  to  know  why  nature 
sings  and  smiles. 

We  had  been  towing  a revenue  cutter  with  stores 
for  a new  lighthouse,  and  cast  her  adrift  at  the 
point  where  we  anchored,  and  the  Resident  and 
Mr.  Daly  went  ashore  with  thirteen  policemen,  and 
I had  a most  interesting-  and  instructive  conversa- 
tion  with  Mr.  Syers.  Afterward  we  steamed  along 
the  low  wooded  coast,  and  then  up  the  Langat 
river  till  we  came  to  Bukit  Jugra,  an  isolated  hill 
covered  with  jungle.  The  landing  is  up  a great 
face  of  smooth  rock,  near  the  top  of  which  is  a 


286 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


pretty  police  station,  and  higher  still,  nearly  con- 
cealed by  bananas  and  cocoa-palms,  is  the  large 
bungalow  of  the  revenue  officer  and  police  magis- 
trate of  Langat.  We  saw  Mr.  Ferney,  the  magis- 
trate, landed  the  police  guard,  and  then  steamed 
up  here  for  a council. 

Mr.  Syers  went  ashore,  and  returned  with  the 
Sultan’s  heir,  the  Rajah  Moussa,  a very  peculiar- 
looking Malay,  a rigid  Mohammedan,  who  is  known, 
the  Resident  says,  to  have  said  that  when  he  be- 
comes Sultan  he  “will  drive  the  white  men  into 
the  sea.”  He  works  hard,  as  an  example  to  his 
people,  and  when  working  dresses  like  a coolie. 
He  sets  his  face  against  cock-fighting  and  other 
Malay  sports,  is  a reformer,  and  a dour,  strong- 
willed  man,  and  his  accession  seems  to  be  rather 
dreaded  by  the  Resident,  as  it  is  supposed  that  he 
will  be  something  more  than  a mere  figure-head 
prince.  He  is  a Hadji,  and  was  dressed  in  a turban 
made  of  many  yards  of  priceless  silk  muslin,  em- 
broidered in  silk,  a white  baju,  and  a long  white 
sarong,  and  full  white  trousers — a beautiful  dress  for 
an  Oriental.  He  shook  hands  with  me.  I wish  that 
these  people  would  not  adopt  our  salutations,  their 
own  are  so  much  more  appropriate  to  their  character. 

The  yacht  is  now  lying  at  anchor  in  a deep  coffee- 
colored  stream,  near  a picturesque  Malay  village 
on  stilts,  surrounded  by  very  extensive  groves  of 
palms.  Several  rivers  intersect  each  other  in  this 
neighborhood,  flowing  through  dense  jungles  and 


TIGER  STORIES. 


287 


mangrove  swamps.  The  sun  is  still  high.  The 
four  white  men  and  the  Rajah  Moussa  have  gone 
ashore  snipe  shooting,  the  Malays  on  board  are 
sleeping,  and  I am  enjoying  a delicious  solitude. 

February  4,  4 r.M. — We  are  steaming  over  the 
incandescent  sapphire  sea,  among  the  mangrove- 
bordered  islands  which  fringe  the  Selangor  coast, 
under  a blazing  sun,  with  the  mercury  88°  in  the 
shade,  but  the  heat,  though  fierce,  is  not  oppressive, 
and  I have  had  a delightful  day.  The  men  returned 
when  they  could  no  longer  see  to  shoot  snipes,  with 
a well  filled  bag,  and  after  sunset  we  dropped  down 
to  Bukit  Jugra  or  Langat.  Most  of  the  river  was 
as  black  as  night  with  the  heavy  shadows  of  the  for- 
est, but  along  the  middle  there  was  a lane  of  lemon- 
colored  water,  the  exquisite  reflection  of  a lemon- 
colored  sky.  The  Resident  and  Mr.  Daly  went  down 
to  the  coast  in  the  yacht  to  avoid  the  mosquitoes  of 
the  interior,  but  I with  Omar,  one  of  the  “body 
guard,”  half  Malay  half  Kling,  as  my  attendant,  and 
Mr.  Syers,  landed,  to  remain  at  the  magistrate’s 
bungalow.  It  was  a lovely  walk  up  the  hill  through 
the  palms  and  bananas,  and  the  bayonets  of  our  escort 
gleamed  in  the  intense  moonlight,  not  with  anything 
alarming  about  them  either,  for  an  escort  is  only 
necessary  because  the  place  is  so  infested  by  tigers. 
The  bungalow  is  large  but  rambling,  and  my  room 
was  one  built  out  at  the  end,  with  six  windows  with 
solid  shutters,  of  which  Mr.  Ferney  closed  all  but 
two,  and  half  closed  those,  because  of  a tiger  which 


288 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


is  infesting  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the 
house,  and  whose  growling,  they  say,  is  most  annoy- 
ing. He  killed  a heifer  belonging  to  the  Sultan 
two  nights  ago,  and  last  night  the  sentry  got  a shot 
at  him  from  the  veranda  outside  my  room  as  he  was 
engaged  in  most  undignified  depredations  upon  the 
hen  house. 

There  was  a grand  excitement  yesterday  morn- 
ing. A tigress  was  snared  in  a pitfall  and  was  shot. 
Her  corpse  was  brought  to  the  bungalow  warm  and 
limp.  She  measured  eight  feet  two  inches  from  her 
nose  to  her  tail,  and  her  tail  was  two  feet  six  inches 
long.  She  had  whelps,  and  they  must  be  starving  in 
the  jungle  to-night.  Her  beautiful  skin  is  hanging 
up.  All  the  neighborhood,  Chinese  and  Malay, 
turned  out.  Some  danced  ; and  the  Sultan  beat 
gongs.  Everybody  seized  upon  a bit  of  the  beast. 
The  Sultan  claimed  the  liver,  which,  when  dried 
and  powdered,  is  worth  twice  its  weight  in  gold,  as 
a medicine.  The  blood  was  taken,  and  I saw  the 
Chinamen  drying  it  in  the  sun  on  small  slabs  ; it  is 
an  invaluable  tonic  ! The  eyes,  which  were  of  im- 
mense size,  were  eagerly  scrambled  for,  that  the 
hard  parts  in  the  centre,  which  are  valuable  charms, 
might  be  set  in  gold  as  rings.  It  was  sad  to  see 
the  terrible  “glaring  eyeballs”  of  the  jungle  so  dim 
and  stiff.  The  bones  were  taken  to  be  boiled 
down  to  a jelly,  which,  when  some  mysterious  drug 
has  been  added,  is  a grand  tonic.  The  gall  is  most 
precious,  and  the  flesh  was  all  taken,  but  for  what 


A “ MAN-EATING  K'RIS.’' 


289 


purpose  I don’t  know.  A steak  of  it  was  stewed, 
and  I tasted  it,  and  found  it  in  flavor  much  like  the 
meat  of  an  ancient  and  overworked  draught  ox,  but 
Mr.  Ferney  thought  it  like  good  veal.  At  dinner 
the  whole  talk  was  of  the  wild  beasts  of  the  jungle; 
and,  as  we  were  all  but  among  them,  it  was  very 
fascinating.  I wanted  to  go  out  by  moonlight,  but 
Mr.  Ferney  said  that  it  was  not  safe,  because  of 
tigers,  and  even  the  Malays  there  don’t  go  out  after 
nightfall. 

Mr.  Ferney  has  given  me  a stick  with  a snake- 
mark  on  it,  which  was  given  to  him  as  a thing  of 
great  value.  The  Malay  donor  said  that  any  one 
carrying  it  would  become  invulnerable  and  invisible, 
and  that  if  you  were  to  beat  any  one  with  it,  the 
beaten  man  would  manifest  all  the  symptoms  of 
snake  poisoning!  Mr.  Ferney  has  also  given  me  a 
kris.  When  I showed  it  to  Omar  this  morning,  he 
passed  it  across  his  face  and  smelt  it,  and  then  said, 
“ This  kris  good — has  ate  a man.” 

I could  not  sleep  much,  there  were  such  strange 
noises,  and  the  sentry  made  the  veranda  creak  all 
night  outside  my  room  ; but  this  is  a splendid  cli- 
mate, and  one  is  refreshed  and  ready  to  rise  with 
the  sun  after  very  little  sleep.  The  tropic  mornings 
are  glorious.  There  is  such  an  abrupt  and  vocifer- 
ous awakening  of  nature,  all  dew-bathed  and  vigor- 
ous. The  rose-flushed  sky  looks  cool,  the  air  feels 
cool,  one  longs  to  protract  the  delicious  time. 
Then  with  a suddenness  akin  to  that  of  his  setting, 
19 


29O  THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

the  sun  wheels  above  the  horizon,  and  is  high  in 
the  heavens  in  no  time,  truly  “ coming  forth  as  a 
bridegroom  out  of  his  chamber,  and  rejoicing  as  a 
giant  to  run  his  course,”  and  as  truly  “ There  is 
nothing  hid  from  the  heat  thereof,”  for  hardly  is  he 
visible  than  the  heat  becomes  tremendous.  But 
tropical  trees  and  flowers,  instead  of  drooping  and 
withering  under  the  solar  fury,  rejoice  in  it. 

This  morning  was  splendid.  The  great  banana 
fronds  under  the  still,  blue  sky  looked  truly  tropi- 
cal. The  mercury  was  82°  at  7 a.m.  The  “ tiger 
mosquitoes,”  day  torments,  large  mosquitoes  with 
striped  legs,  a loud  metallic  hum,  and  a plethora  of 
venom,  were  in  full  fury  from  daylight.  Ammonia 
does  not  relieve  their  bites  as  it  does  those  of  the 
night  mosquitoes,  and  I am  covered  with  inflamed 
and  confluent  lumps  as  large  as  the  half  of  a ban- 
tam’s egg.  But  these  and  other  drawbacks,  I know 
from  experience,  will  soon  be  forgotten,  and  I shall 
remember  only  the  beauty,  the  glory,  and  the  intense 
enjoyment  of  this  day. 

Quite  early  the  Rajah  Moussa  arrived  in  a baju 
of  rich,  gold-colored  silk,  which  suited  his  swarthy 
complexion.  He  sat  in  the  room  pretending  to 
look  over  the  Graphic , but  in  reality  watching  me, 
as  I wrote  to  you,  just  as  I should  watch  an  ouf. 
At  last  he  asked  how  many  Japanese  I had 
killed  ! ! ! ! 

The  succession  is  here  hereditary  in  the  male 
line,  and  this  Rajah  Moussa  is  the  Sultan’s  eldest 


THE  SULTAN’S  HOUSE. 


29I 


son.  The  Sultan  receives  ,£2,000  a year  out  of  the 
revenue,  and  this  Rajah  .£960. 

The  Resident  arrived  at  nine,  wearing  a very 
fine  dress  sword,  and  gold  epaulettes  on  his  linen 
coat  ; and  under  a broiling  sun  we  all  walked 
through  a cleared  part  of  the  jungle,  through  palms 
and  bananas,  to  the  reception  at  the  Sultan’s,  which 
was  the  “motive”  of  our  visit.  The  Sultan,  Ab- 
dulsamat,  has  three  houses  in  a beautiful  situation, 
at  the  end  of  a beautiful  valley.  They  are  in  the 
purest  style  of  Malay  architecture,  and  not  a West- 
ern idea  appears  anywhere.  The  wood  of  which 
they  are  built  is  a rich  brown  red.  The  roofs  are 
very  high  and  steep,  but  somewhat  curved.  The 
architecture  is  simple,  appropriate,  and  beautiful. 
The  dwelling  consists  of  the  Sultan’s  house,  abroad, 
open  passage,  and  then  the  women’s  house  or  harem. 
At  the  end  of  the  above  passage  is  the  audience- 
hall,  and  the  front  entrance  to  the  Sultan’s  house  is 
through  a large  porch  which  forms  a convenient  re- 
ception room  on  occasions  like  that  of  yesterday. 

From  this  back  passage  or  court  a ladder,  with 
rungs  about  two  feet  apart,  leads  into  the  Sultan’s 
house,  and  a step-ladder  into  the  women’s  house. 
Two  small  boys,  entirely  naked,  were  incongruous 
objects  sitting  at  the  foot  of  the  ladder.  Here  we 
waited  for  him,  two  files  of  policemen  being  drawn 
up  as  a guard  of  honor.  He  came  out  of  the 
women’s  house  very  actively,  shook  hands  with  each 
of  us  (obnoxious  custom  !),  and  passed  through  the 


292 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


lines  of  police  round  to  the  other  side  of  his  house 
into  the  porch,  the  floor  of  which  was  covered  with 
fine  matting  nearly  concealed  by  handsome  Persian 
rugs. 

The  Sultan  sat  on  a high-backed,  carved  chair  or 
throne.  All  the  other  chairs  were  plain.  The 
Resident  sat  on  his  right,  I on  his  left,  and  on  my 
left  the  Rajah  Moussa,  with  other  sons  of  the  Sul- 
tan, and  some  native  princes.  Mr.  Syers  acted  as 
interpreter.  Outside  there  were  double  lines  of 
military  police,  and  the  bright  adjacent  slopes  were 
covered  with  the  Sultan’s  followers  and  other 
Malays.  The  balcony  of  the  audience-hall,  which 
has  a handsome  balustrade,  was  full  of  Malay  fol- 
lowers in  bright  reds  and  cool  white.  It  was  all 
beautiful,  and  the  palms  rustled  in  the  soft  air,  and 
bright  birds  and  butterflies  flew  overhead,  rejoicing 
in  mere  existence. 

If  Abdulsamat  were  not  Sultan,  I should  pick  him 
out  as  the  most  prepossessing  Malay  that  I have 
seen.  He  is  an  elderly  man,  with  iron-gray  hair, 
a high  and  prominent  brow,  large,  prominent,  dark, 
eyes,  a well-formed  nose,  and  a good  mouth.  The 
face  is  bright,  kindly,  and  fairly  intelligent.  He  is 
about  the  middle  height.  His  dress  became  him 
well,  and  he  looked  comfortable  in  it  though  he 
had  not  worn  it  before.  It  was  a rich,  black  velvet 
bctjii  or  jacket,  something  like  a loose  hussar  jacket, 
braided,  frogged,  and  slashed  with  gold,  trousers 
with  a broad  gold  strip  on  the  outside,  a rich  silk 


A COUNCIL  OF  STAFF. 


29  3 


sarong  in  checks  and  shades  of  red,  and  a Malay 
printed  silk  handkerchief  knotted  round  his  head, 
forming  a sort  of  peak.  No  Mohammedan  can 
wear  a hat  with  a rim  or  stiff  crown,  or  of  any  kind 
which  would  prevent  him  from  bowing  his  forehead 
to  the  earth  in  worship. 

The  Resident  read  the  proceedings  of  the  coun- 
cil of  the  day  before,  and  the  Sultan  confirmed 
them.  The  nominal  approval  of  measures  initiated 
by  the  Resident  and  agreed  to  in  council,  and  the 
signing  of  death-warrants,  are  among  the  few  pre- 
rogatives which  “his  Highness”  retains.  Then 
a petition  for  a pension  from  Rajah  Brean  was 
read,  the  Rajah,  a slovenly-looking  man,  being 
present.  The  petition  was  refused,  and  the  Sultan, 
in  refusing  it,  spoke  some  very  strong  words  about 
idleness,  which  seems  a great  failing  of  Rajah 
Brean’s  but  it  has  my  strong  sympathy,  for — 

“ Why 

Should  life  all  labor  be  ? 

There  is  no  joy  but  calm  ; 

Why  should  we  only  toil,  the  roof  and  crown  of  things  ? ” 

During  the  reception  a richly-dressed  attendant 
sat  on  the  floor  with  an  iron  tube  like  an  Italian 
iron  in  his  hand,  in  which  he  slowly  worked  an  ar- 
rangement which  might  be  supposed  to  be  a heater 
up  and  down.  I thought  that  he  might  be  prepar- 
ing betel-nut,  but  Mr.  Douglas  said  that  he  was 
working  a charm  for  the  Sultan’s  safety,  and  it  was 


294 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


believed  that  if  he  paused  some  harm  would  happen. 
Another  attendant,  yet  more  richly  dressed,  carried 
a white  scarf  fringed  and  embroidered  with  gold 
over  one  shoulder,  and  two  vases  of  solid  orold, 
with  their  surfaces  wrought  by  exquisite  workman- 
ship into  flowers  nearly  as  delicate  as  filigree  work. 
One  of  these  contained  betel-nut,  and  the  other 
sirih  leaves.  Meanwhile  the  police,  with  their  bay- 
onets flashing  in  the  sun,  and  the  swarthy,  richly- 
costumed  throng  on  the  palm-shaded  slopes,  were 
a beautiful  sight.  The  most  interesting  figure  to 
me  was  that  of  the  reforming  heir,  the  bigoted 
Moslem  in  his  gold-colored  bcijii,  with  his  swarthy 
face,  singular  and  almost  sinister  expression,  and 
his  total  lack  of  all  Western  fripperies  of  dress.  I 
think  that  there  may  be  trouble  when  he  comes  to 
the  throne,  at  least  if  the  present  arrangements  con- 
tinue. He  does  not  look  like  a man  who  would  be 
content  to  be  a mere  registrar  of  the  edicts  of  “ a 
dog  of  an  infidel.” 

The  Sultan  has  a “ go  down  ” containing  great 
treasures,  concerning  which  he  leads  an  anxious 
life — hoards  of  diamonds  and  rubies,  and  priceless 
damascened  kriscs,  with  scabbards  of  pure  gold 
wrought  into  marvelous  devices  and  incrusted  with 
precious  stones.  On  Mr.  Douglas’s  suggestion  (as 
I understood)  he  sent  a kris  with  an  elaborate  gold 
scabbard  to  the  Governor,  saying : “ It  is  not  from 
the  Sultan  to  the  Governor,  but  from  a friend  to  a 
friend."  He  seems  anxious  for  Selangor  to  “get 


A VISIT  TO  THE  SULTAN. 


295 


on.”  He  is  making  a road  at  Lamrat  at  his  own 
expense  ; and  acting,  doubtless,  under  British  ad- 
vice, has  very  cordially  agreed  that  the  odious  sys- 
tem of  debt  slavery  shall  be  quietly  dropped  from 
among  the  institutions  of  Selangor. 

When  this  audience  was  over  I asked  to  be 
allowed  to  visit  the  Sultana,  and,  with  Mrs.  Ferney 
as  interpreter,  went  to  the  harem,  accompanied  by 
the  Rajah  Moussa.  It  is  a beautiful  house,  of  one 
very  large,  lofty  room,  part  of  which  is  divided  into 
apartments  by  heavy  silk  curtains.  One  end  of  it 
is  occupied  by  a high  dais  covered  with  fine  mats, 
below  which  is  another  dais  covered  with  Persian 
carpets.  On  this  the  Sultana  received  us,  the  Rajah 
Moussa,  who  is  not  her  son,  and  ourselves  sitting 
on  chairs.  If  I understood  rightly  that  this  prince 
is  not  her  son,  I do  not  see  how  it  is  that  he  can  go 
into  the  women’s  apartments.  Two  guards  sat  on 
the  floor  just  within  the  door,  and  numbers  of 
women,  some  of  them  in  white  veils,  followers  of 
the  Sultana,  sat  in  rows  also  on  the  floor. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  the  “light  of  the 
harem  ” is  not  beautiful.  She  looks  nearly  middle- 
aged.  She  is  short  and  fat,  with  a flat  nose,  open 
wide  nostrils,  thick  lips,  and  filed  teeth,  much 
blackened  by  betel-nut  chewing.  Her  expression 
is  pleasant,  and  her  manner  is  prepossessing.  She 
wore  a rich,  striped,  red  silk  sarong , and  a very 
short,  green  silk  kabaya  with  diamond  clasps  ; but 
I saw  very  little  of  her  dress  or  herself,  because  she 


296 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


was  almost  enveloped  in  a pure  white  veil  of  a fine 
woolen  material  spangled  with  gold  stars,  and  she 
concealed  so  much  of  her  face  with  it,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  presence  of  the  Rajah  Moussa,  that 
I only  rarely  got  a glimpse  of  the  magnificent  dia- 
mond solitaires  in  her  ears.  Our  conversation  was 
not  brilliant,  and  the  Sultana  looked  to  me  as  if  she 
had  attained  nirvana , and  had  “ neither  ideas  nor 
the  consciousness  of  the  absence  of  ideas.”  We 
returned  and  took  leave  of  the  Sultan,  and  after 
we  left  I caught  a glimpse  of  him  lounging  at  ease 
in  a white  shirt  and  red  sarong , all  his  gorgeous- 
ness having  disappeared. 

After  we  returned  to  the  bungalow  the  Sultan 
sent  me  a gift.  Eight  attendants  dressed  in  pure 
white  came  into  the  room  in  single  file,  and  each 
bowing  to  the  earth,  sat  down  a brass  salver,  with 
its  contents  covered  with  a pure  white  cloth.  Again 
bowing,  they  uncovered  them,  and  displayed  the 
fruitage  of  the  tropics.  There  were  young  cocoa- 
nuts,  gold-colored  bananas  of  the  kind  which  the 
Sultan  eats,  papayas,  and  clusters  of  a species  of 
jambu,  a pear-shaped  fruit,  beautiful  to  look  at,  each 
fruit  looking  as  if  made  of  some  transparent,  pol- 
ished white  wax  with  a pink  flush  on  one  side. 
The  Rajah  Moussa  also  arrived  and  took  coffee, 
and  the  verandas  were  filled  with  his  followers. 
Every  Rajah  goes  about  attended,  and  seems  to 
be  esteemed  according  to  the  size  of  his  follow- 
ing. 


ARRIVAL  AT  KLANG. 


297 


We  left  this  remote  and  beautiful  place  at  noon, 
and  after  a delightful  cruise  of  five  hours  down  the 
Jugra,  and  among  islands  floating  on  a waveless 
sea,  we  reached  dreary,  decayed  Klang  in  the  even- 
ing. I.  L.  B. 


LETTER  XV. 


The  Residency,  Klang, 
February  7. 

I have  had  two  days  of  supposed  quiet  here  after 
thy  charming  expedition  to  Langat.  The  climate 
seems  very  healthy.  The  mercury  has  been  87° 
daily,  but  then  it  falls  to  740  at  night.  The  barome- 
ter, as  is  usual  so  near  the  equator,  varies  only  a 
few  tenths  of  an  inch  during  the  year.  The  rainfall 
is  about  130  inches  annually.  It  is  most  abundant 
in  January,  February  and  March,  and  at  the 
change  of  the  monsoon,  and  there  is  enough  all  the 
year  round  to  keep  vegetation  in  beauty.  Here, 
on  uninteresting  cleared  land  with  a featureless 
foreground  and  level  mangrove  swamps  for  the 
middle  distance,  it  must  be  terribly  monotonous  to 
have  no  change  of  seasons,  no  hope  of  the  mercury 
falling  below  8o°  in  the  daytime,  or  of  a bracing 
wind,  or  of  any  marked  climatic  changes  for  better 
or  worse  all  life  through. 

o 

The  mosquitoes  are  awful,  but  after  a few  months 
of  more  or  less  suffering  the  people  who  live  here 
become  inoculated  by  the  poison,  and  are  more 
bothered  than  hurt  by  the  bites.  I am  almost  suc- 
cumbing to  them.  The  ordinary  pests  are  bad 

298 


A MOSQUITO  PLAGUE. 


299 

enough,  for  just  when  the  evenings  become  cool, 
and  sitting  on  the  veranda  would  be  enjoyable, 
they  begin  their  foray,  and  specially  attack  the  feet 
and  ankles ; but  the  tiger  mosquitoes  of  this  region 
bite  all  day,  and  they  do  embitter  life.  In  the 
evening  all  the  gentlemen  put  on  sarongs  over 
their  trousers  to  protect  themselves,  and  ladies  are 
provided  with  sarongs  which  we  draw  over  our  feet 
and  dresses,  but  these  wretches  bite  through  two 
“ply”  of  silk  or  cotton  ; and,  in  spite  of  all  precau- 
tions, I am  dreadfully  bitten  on  my  ankles,  feet, 
and  arms,  which  are  so  swollen  that  I can  hardly 
draw  on  my  sleeves,  and  for  two  days  stockings 
have  been  an  impossibility,  and  I have  had  to  sew 
up  my  feet  daily  in  linen  ! The  swellings  from  the 
bites  have  become  confluent,  and  are  scarlet  with 
inflammation.  It  is  truly  humiliating  that  “the 
crown  of  things  ” cannot  defend  himself  against 
these  minute  enemies,  and  should  be  made  as 
miserable  as  I am  just  now. 

But  it  is  a most  healthy  climate,  and  when  I 
write  of  mosquitoes,  land  leeches,  centipedes  and 
snakes,  I have  said  my  say  as  to  its  evils.  I will 
now  confess  that  I was  bitten  by  a centipede  in  my 
bath-house  in  Sungei  Ujong,  but  I at  once  cut  the 
bite  deeply  with  a penknife,  squeezed  it,  and 
poured  ammonia  recklessly  over  it,  and  in  a few 
hours  the  pain  and  swelling  went  off. 

I had  been  to  the  fort,  the  large  barrack  of  the 
military  police,  and  Mr.  Syers  showed  me  many 


300 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


things.  In  the  first  place,  a snake  about  eight 
feet  long  was  let  out  and  killed.  The  Malays 
call  this  a “ two-headed  ” snake,  and  there  is  enough 
to  give  rise  to  the  ignorant  statement,  for  after  the 
proper  head  was  dead  the  tail  stood  up  and  moved 
forward.  The  skin  of  this  reptile  was  marked 
throughout  with  broad  bands  of  black  and  white 
alternately.  There  was  an  ill-favored  skull  of  a 
crocodile  hanging  up  to  dry,  with  teeth  three 
inches  long.  One  day  lately  a poor  Hadji  was 
carried  off  by  one,  and  shortly  afterwards  this  mon- 
ster was  caught,  and  on  opening  it  they  found  the 
skull  of  the  Hadji,  part  of  his  body,  a bit  of  his 
clothing,  and  part  of  a goat.  I brought  away  as 
spoils  tiger’s  teeth  and  claws,  crocodile’s  teeth, 
bear’s  teeth,  etc. 

I went  also  to  the  Government  offices.  The 
skin  of  a superb  tiger,  which  was  killed  close  to 
Klang  after  it  had  devoured  six  men,  decorated  the 
entrance.  I heard  two  cases  tried  before  the  Resi- 
dent. The  first  criminal  was  a Malay,  who  was 
“ in  trouble  ” for  the  very  British  crime  of  nearly 
beating  his  wife  to  death.  She  said  she  did  not 
want  to  prosecute  him,  but  to  get  a divorce.  She 
was  told  to  apply  to  the  Imaum,  and  the  man 
was  bound  over  to  keep  the  peace  for  six  months. 
The  next  case  was  a very  common  one  here,  and 
the  court  was  crowded  with  Chinese  onlookers.  A 
Chinaman  had  bought  a girl  (very  nice-looking  she 
was),  and  now  a man  wants  to  marry  her,  upon 


CRIMINAL  PROSECUTIONS. 


301 


which  her  owner  produces  a promissory  note  from 
her,  and  demands  Si 65  as  her  price  ! It  was  im- 
possible to  make  him  understand  that  the  transac- 
tion is  utterly  illegal  and  immoral.  The  Resident 
addressed  some  very  strong  and  just  words  to  this 
man  in  reprobation  of  his  conduct,  which  were 
translated  for  the  benefit  of  the  crowd. 

I cannot  elicit  anything  very  definite,  here  or 
elsewhere,  about  the  legal  system  under  which 
criminals  are  tried  in  these  States.  Apparently, 
murder,  robbery,  forgery,  and  violent  assault  come 
under  English  criminal  law,  and  must  be  equally 
punishable  whether  committed  by  a Briton,  a Chi- 
naman, or  a Malay.  But  then  nobody,  except  a 
Christian,  can  be  punished  for  bigamy.  So  crimi- 
nal law  even  undergoes  modification  by  local  cus- 
tom ; and  the  four  wives  of  the  Mussulman,  and 
the  subordinate  wives  of  the  Chinaman,  have  an 
equal  claim  to  recognition  with  the  one  wife  of  the 
Englishman.  Even  Mohammedan  law,  by  which 
the  Malays  profess  to  be  ruled,  is  modified  by  Ala- 
lay  custoip,  which  asserts  itself  specially  in  connec- 
tion with  marriage,  its  frequent  attendant  repudia- 
tion, and  inheritance. 

The  “ Malay  custom  ” ( adat  Malayu ) seems  to 
have  been  originally  a just  and  equitable  code, 
though  ofttimes  severe  in  its  punishments,  as  you 
will  see  if  you  can  get  Newbold’s  Malacca , and  was 
probably  suited  to  the  people  ; but  it  has  under- 
gone such  clippings  and  emendations  by  the  sue- 


3°2 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


cessive  Rajahs  or  Sultans  of  these  native  States,  that 
the  custom  now  in  force  bears  a very  faint  resem- 
blance to  the  original  adat.  It  is  said,  indeed,  that 
each  alteration  has  been  for  the  worse,  and  that  now 
any  chief  who  introduces  anything  of  his  own  will, 
justifies  it  as  “adat  Malayu .”  Mr.  Swettenham,  the 
Assistant  Colonial  Secretary,  says  that  the  few  up- 
right Rajahs  who  exist  say  that  there  is  no  longer 
any  “ adat  Malayu,”  but  that  everything  is  done  by 
“ adat  Suka  hate,”  i.e.,  the  custom  by  which  a man 
can  best  suit  his  own  inclination. 

So  it  seems  that  a most  queerly  muddled  system 
of  law  prevails  under  our  Hag,  Mohammedan  law, 
modified  by  degenerate  and  evil  custom,  and  to  some 
extent  by  the  discretion  of  the  residents,  existing 
alongside  of  fragments  of  English  criminal  law,  or 
more  perhaps  correctly  of  “justice’s  justice,”  the 
Resident’s  notions  of  “equity,”  overriding  all  else.* 
Surely,  as  we  have  practically  acquired  those  States, 
and  are  responsible  for  their  good  government,  we 
ought  to  give  them  the  blessing  of  a simple  code  of 
law,  of  which  the  residents  shall  be  only  the  respons- 
ible interpreters,  modified  by  the  true  “ Malay  cus- 
tom ” of  course,  but  under  the  same  conditions  which 
are  giving  such  growing  satisfaction  to  the  peoples 
of  India  and  Ceylon. 


* AColonial  friend  tells  me  that  he  asked  an  English  magistrate  in  one  of 
the  native  States,  by  what  law — English,  Colonial,  or  Malay — he  had  sen- 
tenced some  culprits  to  three  years’  imprisonment,  and  that  the  reply  was  a 
shrug,  and  “ The  rascals  were  served  right.” 


THE  PRISON  SYSTEM. 


3<=>3 


The  oaths  are  equally  inscrutable,  and  probably 
no  oath,  however  terrible  in  formula,  would  restrain 
a Chinese  coolie  witness  from  telling  a lie,  if  he 
thought  it  would  be  to  his  advantage.* 

I went  to  see  the  jail,  a tolerable  building, — a 
barred  cage  below,  and  a long  room  above, — stand- 
ing in  a graveled  courtyard,  surrounded  by  a high 
wall.  Formerly  there  were  no  prisons,  and  crimi- 
nals were  punished  on  the  spot,  either  by  being 
krissed,  shot,  or  flogged.  Here  they  have  a liberal 
diet  of  rice  and  salt  fish,  and  “ hard  labor”  is  only 
mild  work  on  the  roads.  The  prisoners,  forty-two 
adult  men,  were  drawn  up  in  a row,  and  Mr.  Syers 
called  the  roll,  telling  the  crime  of  each  man,  and 
his  conduct  in  prison  ; and  most  of  those  who  had 
conducted  themselves  well  were  to  be  recommended 
to  the  Sultan  for  remission  of  part  of  their  sen- 
tences. “ Flog  them  if  they  are  lazy,”  the  Resident 
often  said  ; but  Mr.  Syers  says  that  he  never  pun- 
ishes them  except  under  aggravated  circumstances. 
The  prisoners  are  nearly  all  Chinamen,  and  their 
crimes  are  mostly  murder,  gang-robbery,  assault, 


*Sir  Benson  Maxwell,  late  Chief  Justice  of  the  Straits  Settlements,  to 
whose  kindness  I am  much  indebted,  wrote  to  me  lately  thus  : “ In  China  I 
believe  an  oath  is  rarely  taken  ; when  it  is,  it  is  in  the  form  of  an  impreca- 
tion. The  witness  cuts  off  a cock’s  head,  and  prays  that  he  may  be  so  treated 
if  he  speaks  falsely.”  “ Would  you  cut  off  a cock’s  head  to  that  ?”  I once 
asked  a Chinese  witness  who  had  made  a statement  which  I did  not  believe. 
“ I would  cut  off  an  elephant’s  head  to  it,”  he  replied.  In  the  Colonial 
courts,  Chinamen  are  sworn  by  burning  a piece  of  paper  on  which  is  written 
some  imprecation  on  themselves  if  they  do  not  speak  the  truth, 


304 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


and  theft.  About  half  of  them  were  in  chains. 
There  is  an  unusual  mortality  in  the  prison,  at- 
tributed, though  possibly  not  attributable , to  the 
enforced  disuse  of  opium.  We  went  also  to  the 
hospital,  mainly  used  by  the  police,  a long  airy 
shed,  with  a broad  shelf  on  each  side.  Mr.  Klyne, 
the  apothecary,  a half-caste,  has  a good  many  Ma- 
lay dispensary  patients. 

On  our  return,  four  Malay  women,  including  the 
Imaum’s  wife,  came  to  see  me.  Each  one  would 
have  made  a picturesque  picture,  but  they  had  no 
manners,  and  seized  on  my  hands,  which  are  coars- 
ened, reddened,  and  swelled  from  heat  and  mos- 
quito bites,  all  exclaiming,  “ chanti ! chanti!" — 
pretty  ! pretty  ! I wondered  at  their  bad  taste, 
specially  as  they  had  very  small  and  pretty  hands 
themselves,  with  almond-shaped  nails. 

In  the  evening  the  “establishment”  dined  at  the 
Residency.  After  dinner,  as  we  sat  in  the  darkness 
in  the  veranda,  maddened  by  mosquito  bites,  about 
9.30,  the  bugle  at  the  fort  sounded  the  “alarm,” 
which  was  followed  in  a few  seconds  by  the  drum 
beating  “ to  quarters,  ” and  in  less  than  five  minutes 
every  approach  to  the  Residency  was  held  by  men 
with  fixed  bayonets,  and  fourteen  rounds  of  ball- 
cartridges  each  in  their  belts,  and  every  road  round 
Klang  was  being  patrolled  by  pickets.  I knew 
instinctively  that  it  was  “ humbug,”  arranged  to 
show  the  celerity  with  which  the  little  army  could 
be  turned  out ; and  shortly  an  orderly  arrived  with 


A FALSE  ALARM. 


305 


a note — “ False  alarm  ; ” but  Klang  never  subsided 
all  night,  and  the  Klings  beat  their  tom-toms  till 
daylight.  I am  writing  at  dawn  now,  in  order  that 
my  letter  may  “ catch  the  mail.”  I.  L.  B. 


LETTER  XVI. 


Steam-launch  “ Ardulsamat.” 
February  7. 

You  will  certainly  think,  from  the  dates  of  my 
letters,  that  I am  usually  at  sea.  The  Resident, 
his  daughter,  Mrs.  Daly,  Mr.  Hawley,  a revenue 
officer,  and  I,  left  Klang  this  morning  at  eight  for 
a two  days’  voyage  in  this  bit  of  a thing.  Blessed 
be  “ the  belt  of  calms  ! ” There  was  the  usual  pomp 
of  a body-guard,  some  of  whom  are  in  attendance, 
and  a military  display  on  the  pier,  well  drilled,  and 
well  officered  in  quiet,  capable,  admirable,  unobtru- 
sive Mr.  Syers ; but  gentle  Mrs.  Douglas,  devoted 
to  her  helpless  daughter,  standing  above  the  jetty, 
a lone  woman  in  forlorn,  decayed  Klang,  haunts 
me  as  a vision  of  sadness,  as  I think  of  her  sorrow 
and  her  dignified  hospitality  in  the  midst  of  it. 

Now,  at  half-past  eleven,  we  are  aground  with 
an  ebb-tide  on  the  bar  of  the  Selangor  river ; so  I 
may  write  a little,  though  I should  like  to  be 
asleep. 

Bcrnam  River , Selangor,  February  S/h. — “ Chi- 
laka  / ” (worthless  good  - for  - nothing  wretch), 
“ Bodof"  (fool).  I hear  these  words  repeated  in- 
cessantly in  tones  of  thunder  and  fury,  with  accom- 

306 


PUNISHING  CRIME. 


307 


paniments  which  need  not  be  dwelt  upofi.  The 
Malays  are  a revengeful  people.  If  any  official  in 
British  service  were  to  knock  them  about  and  insult 
them,  one  can  only  say  what  has  been  said  to  me 
since  I came  to  the  native  States:  “Well,  some 
day — all  I can  say  is,  God  help  him  ! ” But  then 
if  an  official  were  to  be  krissed,  no  matter  how  de- 
servedly in  Malay  estimation,  a gunboat  would  be 
sent  up  the  river  to  “punish,”  and  would  kill,  burn, 
and  destroy ; there  would  be  a “ little  war,”  and  a 
heavy  war  indemnity,  and  the  true  bearings  of  the 
case  would  be  lost  forever. 

Yesterday,  after  a detention  on  the  bar,  we 
steamed  up  the  broad,  muddy  Selangor  river,  mar- 
gined by  bubbling  slime,  on  which  alligators  were 
basking  in  the  torrid  sun,  to  Selangor.  Here  the 
Dutch  had  a fort  on  the  top  of  the  hill.  We  de- 
stroyed it  in  August,  1871.  Some  Chinese  whose 
connection  with  Selangor  is  not  traceable,  after  mur- 
dering nearly  everybody  on  board  a Pinang-owned 
junk,  took  the  vessel  to  Selangor.  We  demanded 
that  the  native  chiefs  should  give  up  the  pirates, 
and  they  gave  up  nine  readily,  but  refused  the  tenth, 
against  whom  “it  does  not  appear  that  there  was 
any  proof,”  and  drew  their  krises  on  our  police 
when  they  tried  to  arrest  the  man  in  defiance  of 
them.  The  (acting)  Governor  of  the  Straits  Settle- 
ments, instead  of  representing  to  the  Sultan  the 
misconduct,  actual  or  supposed,  of  his  officers,  sent 
a war-ship  to  seize  and  punish  them.  This  attempt 


3°8 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


was  resented  by  the  Selangor  chiefs,  and  they  fired 
on  those  who  made  it.  The  Rinaldo  destroyed 
the  town  in  consequence,  and  killed  many  of  its  in- 
habitants. 

When  the  Viceroy,  a brother  of  the  Sultan  of 
Kedah,  retook  Selangor  two  years  afterward,  he 
found  that  what  had  been  a populous  and  thriving 
place  was  almost  deserted,  the  few  hovels  which  re- 
mained were  in  ruins,  the  plantations  were  over- 
grown with  rank  jungle  growths,  and  their  owners 
had  fled  ; the  mines  in  the  interior  were  deserted, 
and  the  roads  and  jungle  paths  were  infested  by 
bands  of  half-starved  robbers.* 

Selangor  is  a most  wretched  place — worse  than 
Klang.  On  one  side  of  the  river  there  is  a fishing 
village  of  mat  and  attap  hovels  on  stilts  raised  a few 
feet  above  the  slime  of  a mangrove  swamp  ; and  on 
the  other  an  expanse  of  slime,  with  larger  houses 
on  stilts,  and  an  attempt  at  a street  of  Chinese 
shops,  and  a gambling-den,  which  I entered,  and 
found  full  of  gamblers  at  noonday.  The  same 
place  serves  for  a spirit  and  champagne  shop. 
Slime  was  everywhere  oozing,  bubbling,  smelling 
putrid  in  the  sun,  all  glimmering,  shining,  and  iri- 
descent, breeding  fever  and  horrible  life  ; while  land- 
crabs  boring  holes,  crabs  of  a brilliant  turquoise- 
blue  color,  which  fades  at  death,  and  reptiles  like 
fish,  with  great  bags  below  their  mouths,  and  in- 

* This  account  of  Selangor  does  not  rest  on  local  hearsay,  but  on  the 
authority  of  two  of  the  leading  officials  of  the  Colonial  Gevernment. 


A VISIT  TO  THE  FORT.  3O9 

numerable  armor-plated  insects,  were  rioting  in  it 
under  the  broiling  sun. 

We  landed  by  a steep  ladder  upon  a jetty  with  a 
gridiron  top,  only  safe  for  shoeless  feet,  and  Mr. 
Hawley  and  I went  up  to  the  fort  by  steps  cut  in 
the  earth.  There  are  fine  mango-trees  on  the 
slopes,  said  to  have  been  planted  by  the  Dutch  two 
centuries  ago.  The  fort  is  nearly  oblong,  and  has 
a wall  of  stones  and  earth  round  it,  in  which,  near 
the  entrance,  some  of  the  Dutch  brickwork  is  still 
visible.  The  trees  round  it  are  much  tattered  and 
torn  by  English  shell.  In  front  of  the  entrance 
there  is  a large  fiat  stone  on  a rude  support.  On 
this  a young  girl  was  sacrificed  some  years  ago,  and 
the  Malay  guns  were  smeared  with  her  blood,  in 
the  idea  that  it  would  make  them  successful.  I was 
told  this  story,  but  have  no  means  of  testing  its 
accuracy. 

Within  the  fort  the  collector  and  magistrate — a 
very  inert-looking  Dutch  half-caste— has  a wretched 
habitation,  mostly  made  of  attap.  We  sat  there  for 
some  time.  It  looked  most  miserable,  the  few 
things  about  being  empty  bottles  and  meat-tins.  A 
man  would  need  many  resources,  great  energy,  and 
an  earnest  desire  to  do  his  duty,  in  order  to  save 
him  from  complete  degeneracy.  He  has  no  better 
prospect  from  his  elevation,  than  a nearly  level 
plateau  of  mangrove  swamps  and  jungle,  with  low 
hills  in  the  distance,  in  which  the  rivers  rise.  It 
was  hot— rather. 


3io 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


In  the  meantime  the  Resident  was  trying  a case, 
and  when  it  was  concluded  we  steamed  out  to  sea 
and  hugged  all  day  the  most  monotonous  coast  I 
ever  saw,  only  just,  //"just,  above  high-water  mark, 
with  a great  level  of  mangrove  swamps  and  dense 
jungle  behind,  with  high,  jungle-covered  hills  in  the 
very  far  distance,  a vgst  area  of  beast-haunted  coun- 
try, of  which  nothing  is  known  by  Europeans,  and 
almost  nothing  by  the  Malays  themselves.  So  very 
small  a vessel  tumbles  about  a <jood  deal  even  with  a 

o 

very  light  breeze,  and  instead  of  going  to  dinner  I 
lay  on  the  roof  of  the  cabin  studying  blue-books.  At 
nightfall  we  anchored  at  the  mouth  of  the  Remain 
river,  to  avoid  the  inland  mosquitoes,  but  we  must 
have  brought  some  with  us,  for  I was  malignantly 
bitten.  Mrs.  Daly  and  I shared  the  lack  of  privacy 
and  comfort  of  the  cabin.  Perfect  though  the  Ab- 
dulsamat  is,  there  is  very  little  rest  to  be  got  in  a 
small  and  overcrowded  vessel,  and  besides,  the  heat 
was  awful.  I think  we  were  not  far  enough  from 

o 

the  swampy  shore,  for  Mrs.  Daly  was  seized  with 
fever  during  the  night,  and  a Malay  servant  also. 
In  the  morning  Mrs.  Daly,  who  is  comely  and  has 
a very  nice  complexion,  looked  haggard,  yellow,  and 
much  shaken. 

At  daylight  we  weighed  anchor  and  steamed  for 
many  miles  up  the  muddy,  mangrove-fringed  river 
Bernam,  the  mangroves  occasionally  varied  by  the 
nipah  palm.  We  met  several  palm-trees  floating 
with  their  roots  and  some  of  their  fruits  above  the 


ON  THE  BERNAM. 


31 1 

water,  like  those  we  saw  yesterday  evening  out  on 
the  Malacca  Straits,  looking  like  crowded  Malay 
prahus  with  tattered  mat-sails. 

Before  nine  we  anchored  at  this  place,  whose 
wretchedness  makes  a great  impression  on  me,  be- 
cause we  are  to  deposit  Mr.  Hawley  here  as  rev- 
enue collector.  I have  seen  him  every  day  for  a 
week  ; he  is  amiable  and  courteous,  as  well  as  intel- 
ligent and  energetic,  and  it  is  shocking  to  leave  him 
alone  in  a malarious  swamp.  This  dismal  revenue 
station  consists  of  a few  exceptionally  poor-looking 
Malay  houses  on  the  river  bank,  a few  equally  un- 
prosperous-looking  Chinese  dwellings,  a police  sta- 
tion of  dilapidated  thatch  among  the  trees,  close  to 
it  a ca<je  in  which  there  is  a half-human  looking 
criminal  lying  on  a mat,  a new  house  or  big  room, 
raised  for  Mr.  Hawley,  with  the  swamp  all  round  it 
and  underneath  it,  and  close  to  it  some  pestiferous 
ditches  which  have  been  cut  to  drain  it,  but  in 
which  a putrid-looking  brown  ooze  has  stagnated. 
There  is  a causeway  about  two  hundred  yards  long 
on  the  river  bank,  but  no  road  anywhere.  The 
river  is  broad,  deep,  swift  and  muddy  ; on  its  oppo- 
site side  is  Perak,  the  finest  State  in  the  peninsula, 
and  the  cluster  of  mat  houses  on  the  farther  shore 
is  under  the  Perak  Government.*  Sampans  are 
lying  on  the  heated  slime.  Cocoa-nut  trees  fringe 
the  river  bank  for  some  distance,  and  there  are 

*The  Bernam  district  has  recently  been  handed  over  to  Perak,  and  is  now 
under  Mr.  Low’s  very  capable  administration. 


312 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


some  large,  spreading  trees  loaded  with  the  largest 
and  showiest  crimson  blossoms  I ever  saw,  throw- 
ing even  the  gaudy  Poinciana  regia  into  the  shade  ; 
but  nothing  can  look  very  attractive  here,  with  the 
swamp  in  front  and  the  jungle  behind,  where  the 
rhinoceros  is  said  to  roam  undisturbed. 

We  landed  in  the  police  boat  at  a stilted  jetty 
approached  by  a ladder  with  few  and  slippery 
rungs.  At  the  top  there  was  a primitive  gridiron 
of  loose  nibong  bars,  and  the  river  swirled  so  rap- 
idly and  dizzily  below  that  I was  obliged  ignomin- 
iously  to  hold  on  to  a Chinaman  in  order  to  reach 
the  causeway  safely.  To  add  to  the  natural  inse- 
curity of  the  foothold,  some  men  were  killing  a 
goat  at  the  top  of  the  ladder,  and  its  blood  made 
the  whole  gridiron  slippery.  The  banks  of  the 
river  are  shining  slime  divine  off  fetid  exhalations 
under  the  burning  sun  ; there  is  a general  smell  of 
vegetable  decomposition,  and  miasma  fever  (one 
would  suppose)  is  exhaling  from  every  bubble  of 
the  teeming  slime  and  swamp. 

In  the  veranda  of  Mr.  Hawley’s  house  a number 
of  forlorn-looking  Rajahs  are  sitting,  each  with  his 
forlorn-looking  train  of  followers,  and  in  front  of 
the  police  station  a number  of  forlorn-looking  Ma- 
lays are  sitting  motionless  hour  after  hour.  The 
Chinese  have  a row  of  shops  above  the  river  bank, 
and  even  on  this  deadly-looking  shore  they  display 
some  purpose  and  energy.  Mrs.  Daly  and  I are 
sitting  in  Mr.  Hawley’s  side  veranda  with  the  bub- 


A MALA  Y WAIF. 


313 


bling  swamp  below  us.  She  reads  a dull  novel,  I 
watch  the  dead  life,  pen  in  hand,  and  think  how  I 
can  convey  any  impression  of  it  to  you.  The  Res- 
ident has  gone  snipe-shooting  to  replenish  our 
larder.  A boat  now  and  then  crosses  from  the 
Perak  side,  a sauntering  Malay  occasionally  joins 
the  squatting  group,  a fishing  hawk  now  and  then 
swoops  down  upon  a fish,  a policeman  occasionally 
rouses  up  the  wretch  in  the  cage,  and  so  the  torrid 
hours  pass. 

I take  this  up  again  as  the  dew  falls,  and  the  sea 
takes  on  the  coloring  of  a dying  dolphin.  The 
Resident  returned  with  a good  bag  of  snipe,  and 
with  Rajah  Odoot,  a gentle,  timid-looking  man, 
and  another  Rajah  with  an  uncomfortable,  puzzled 
face,  took  his  place  at  a table,  a policeman  with  a 
brace  of  loaded  revolvers  standing  behind  him. 
Policemen  filed  in  ; one  or  two  cases  were  tried  and 
dismissed,  the  Malay  witnesses  trembling  from  head 
to  foot,  and  then  the  wretch  from  the  cage  was 
brought  in  looking  hardly  human,  as,  from  under 
his  shaggy,  unshaven  hair  and  unplaited  pigtail 
which  hung  over  his  chest,  he  cast  furtive,  fright- 
ened glances  at  the  array  before  him.  He  was 
charged  with  being  a waif.  A Malay  had  picked 
him  up  at  sea  in  a boat,  of  which  he  could  give  no 
account,  neither  of  himself.  So  he  is  supposed  to 
have  been  implicated  in  the  murder  of  Mr.  Lloyd, 
and  we  are  bringing  him,  heavily  ironed,  and  his 
boat  up  to  Pinang.  I wonder  how  many  of  the 


314  rlIE  golden  CHERSONESE. 

feelings  which  we  call  human  exist  in  the  lowest 
order  of  Orientals  ! It  is  certain  that  many  of  them 
only  regard  kindness  as  a confession  of  weakness. 
The  Chinese  seem  specially  inscrutable ; no  one 
seems  really  to  understand  them.  Even  the  Can- 
ton missionaries  said  that  they  knew  nearly  nothing 
of  them  and  their  feelings.  This  wretched  criminal, 
with  his  possible  association  with  a brutal  murder, 
is  a most  piteous  object  on  deck,  and  comes  be- 
tween me  and  the  enjoyment  of  this  entrancing 
evening. 

We  reembarked  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  with 
the  flood-tide  in  our  favor  have  left  Selangor  be- 
hind. It  has  impressed  me  unfavorably  as  com- 
pared with  Sungei  Ujong.  Of  Kwalor  Luinpor  I 
cannot  give  any  opinion,  but  I have  seen  no  signs 
of  progress  or  life  anywhere  else.  The  people  of 
the  State  are  harassed  by  vexatious  imposts  which 
yield  very  little,  cost  a great  deal  to  collect,  repress 
industry,  and  drive  away  population.  Among  such 
are  taxes  on  individuals  moving  about  the  country 
up  or  down  the  rivers,  cutting  wood  or  in  boats, 
oppressively  heavy  export  duties  on  certain  kinds 
of  produce,  and  ad  valorem  duties  on  all  articles  of 
import  and  export  not  otherwise  specially  taxed. 
The  costs  of  litigation  are  enormous,  and  the  legal 
expenses  to  litigants  are  as  great  as  in  settle- 
ments where  with  the  same  money  every  ad- 
vantage can  be  obtained.  The  stamps  on  all  legal 
documents  are  also  oppressive.  The  various  de- 


MILITARY  DISPLAY. 


315 


partments  are  said  to  be  in  a state  of  “ hugger- 
mtigger.” 

With  all  this  there  is  a good  deal  of  display  of 
military  power  on  a small  scale,  and  of  such  over- 
aweing  implements  as  bayonets  and  revolvers, 
together  with  marching  and  counter-marching, 
body-guards  and  guards  of  honor.  There  must 
surely  be  a want  of  the  right  kind  of  vigor  in  the 
administration,  and  a laisser  aller  on  the  part  of 
some  of  the  minor  officials,  the  result  of  which  is 
that  the  great  capabilities  of  the  State  are  not  de- 
veloped, and  its  resources  seem  very  little  known. 
There  has  not  been  any  disturbance  in  Selangor 
since  1874  ; and  as  neither  the  Sultan,  the  Malays, 
nor  the  Chinese  have  ever  raised  objections  of  any 
serious  kind  to  the  proposals  of  the  British  advis- 
ers, the  “far  back”  state  of  things  is  very  singular. 

Mr.  Syers,  the  superintendent  of  military  police, 
appears  a thoroughly  efficient  man,  as  sensible  in 
his  views  of  what  would  conduce  to  the  advance- 
ment of  the  State  as  he  is  conscientious  and  careful 
in  all  matters  of  detail  which  concern  his  rather 
complicated  position.  He  is  a student  of  the  peo- 
ple and  of  the  country,  speaks  Malay  fluently,  and 
for  a European  seems  to  have  a sympathetic  under- 
standing of  the  Malays,  is  studying  the  Chinese 
and  their  language,  as  well  as  the  flora,  fauna,  and 
geology  of  the  country,  and  is  altogether  unpre- 
tending. I have  formed  a very  high  opinion  of  him, 
and  should  rely  implicitly  on  anything  which  he 


3l6 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


told  me  as  a fact.  This  is  a great  blessing,  for  con- 
flicting statements  on  every  subject,  and  the  diffi- 
culty of  estimating  which  one  comes  probably 
nearest  the  truth,  are  among  the  great  woes  of 
traveling  ! I.  L.  B. 


LETTER  XVII. 


Hotel  de  L’Europe,  Pinang, 
February  9. 

In  the  evening  we  reached  the  Dindings,  a lovely 
group  of  small  islands  ceded  to  England  by  the 
Pangkor  Treaty,  and  just  now  in  the  height  of  an 
unenviable  notoriety.  The  sun  was  low  and  the 
great  heat  past,  the  breeze  had  died  away,  and  in 
the  dewy  stillness  the  largest  of  the  islands  looked 
unspeakably  lovely  as  it  lay  in  the  golden  light  be- 
tween us  and  the  sun,  forest-covered  to  its  steep 
summit,  its  rocky  promontories  running  out  into 
calm,  deep,  green  water,  and  forming  almost  land- 
locked bays,  margined  by  shores  of  white  coral 
sand  backed  by  dense  groves  of  cocoa-palms  whose 
curving  shadows  lay  dark  upon  the  glassy  sea. 
Here  and  there  a Malay  house  in  the  shade  indi- 
cated man  and  his  doings,  but  it  was  all  silent. 

On  a high,  steep  point  there  is  a small  clearing 
on  which  stands  a mat  bungalow  with  an  attap  roof, 
and  below  this  there  is  a mat  police  station,  but  it 
was  all  desolate,  nothing  stirred,  and  though  we  had 
intended  to  spend  the  early  hours  of  the  night  at 
the  Dindings,  we  only  lay  a short  time  in  the  deep 
shadow  upon  the  clear  green  water,  watching  scar- 

317 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


318 

let  fish  playing  in  the  coral  forests,  and  the  exqui- 
site beauty  of  the  island  with  its  dense  foliage  in 
dark  relief  against  the  cool  lemon  sky.  Peace 
brooded  over  the  quiet  shores,  heavy  aromatic 
odors  of  night-blooming  plants  wrapped  us  round, 
the  sun  sank  suddenly,  the  air  became  cool,  it  was 
a dream  of  tropic  beauty. 

“ Chalakar  / Bondo  /”  Those  jarring  sounds 
seemed  to  have  something  linking  them  with  the 
tragedy  of  which  the  peaceful-looking  bungalow 
was  lately  the  scene,  and  of  which  you  have  doubt- 
less read.  A Chinese  gang  swooped  down  upon 
the  house  from  behind,  beating  gongs  and  shouting. 
Captain  Lloyd  got  up  to  see  what  was  the  matter, 
and  was  felled  by  a hatchet,  calling  out  to  his  wife 
for  his  revolver.  This  had  been  abstracted,  and 
the  locks  had  been  taken  off  his  fowling-pieces. 
The  ayah  fled  to  the  jungle  in  the  confusion,  taking 
with  her  the  three  children,  the  youngest  only  four 
weeks  old.  The  wretches  then  fractured  Mrs. 
Lloyd’s  skull  with  the  hatchet,  and  having  stunned 
Mrs.  Innes,  who  was  visiting  her,  they  pushed  the 
senseless  bodies  under  the  bed,  and  were  preparing 
to  set  fire  to  it  when  something  made  them  depart. 

No  more  is  likely  to  be  known.  The  police  must 
either  have  been  cowardly  or  treacherous.  The 
Pya/i  Pckket  called  the  next  day  and  brought  the 
frightfully  mangled  corpse,  Mrs.  Lloyd,  whose 
reason  was  overturned,  and  Mrs.  Innes,  on  here. 
It  is  supposed  that  the  Chinese  secret  societies  have 


EXPIATING  CRIME. 


31 9 

frustrated  justice.  A wretch  is  to  be  hanged  here 
for  the  crime  this  morning  on  his  own  confession, 
but  it  is  believed  that  he  was  doomed  to  sacrifice 
himself  by  one  of  these  societies,  in  order  to  screen 
the  real  murderers.  The  contrast  was  awful  be- 
tween the  island  looking  so  lovely  in  the  evening 
light,  and  this  horrid  deed  which  has  desolated  it. 

The  mainland  approaches  close  to  the  Bindings, 
but  the  mangrove  swamps  of  Selangor  had  given 
place  to  lofty  ranges,  forest  covered,  and  a white 
coral  strand  fringed  with  palms.  It  was  a lovely 
night.  The  north-east  monsoon  was  fresh  and 
steady,  and  the  stars  were  glorious.  It  was  very 
hot  below,  but  when  I went  up  on  deck  it  was  cool, 
and  in  the  colored  dawn  we  were  just  running  up 
to  the  island-group  of  which  Pinang  is  the  chief, 
and  reached  the  channel  which  divides  it  from  Leper 
Island  just  at  sunrise.  All  these  islands  are  densely 
wooded,  and  have  rocky  shores.  The  high  moun- 
tains of  the  native  State  of  Kedah  close  the  view  to 
the  north,  and  on  the  other  side  of  a very  narrow 
channel  are  the  palm  groves  and  sugar  plantations 
of  Province  Wellesley.  The  Leper  Island  looked 
beautiful  in  the  dewy  morning  with  its  stilted  houses 
under  the  cocoa-palms ; and  the  island  of  Pinang, 
with  its  lofty  peak,  dense  woods,  and  shores  fringed 
with  palms  sheltering  Malay  kampongs,  each  with 
its  praJms  drawn  up  on  the  beach,  looked  impres- 
sive enough. 

The  fierce  glory  of  a tropic  sunrise  is  ever  a new 


320 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


delight.  It  is  always  the  sun  of  the  Nineteenth 
Psalm,  with  the  prevailing  yellow  color  of  the  eastern 
sky  intensifying  in  one  spot,  a cool,  lingering  fresh- 
ness, a deepening  of  the  yellow  east  into  a brilliant 
rose  color,  till  suddenly,  “ like  a glory,  the  broad 
sun  ” wheels  above  the  horizon,  the  dew-bathed 
earth  rejoices,  the  air  is  flooded  with  vitality,  all 
things  which  rejoice  in  light  and  heat  come  forth, 
night  birds  and  night  prowlers  retire,  and  we  pale 
people  hastily  put  up  our  umbrellas  to  avoid  being 
shriveled  in  less  than  ten  minutes  from  the  first 
appearance  of  the  sun. 

Pinang,  from  the  pinang  or  areca-palm,  is  the 
proper  name  of  the  island,  but  out  of  compliment 
to  George  IV.  it  was  called  Prince  of  Wales  Island. 
Georgetown  is  the  name  of  the  capital,  but  by  an 
odd  freak  we  call  the  town  Penang,  and  spell  it  with 
an  e instead  of  an  i. 

There  were  a great  many  ships  and  junks  at 
anchor,  and  the  huge  “ P.  and  O.”  steamer  Peking , 
and  there  was  a state  of  universal  hurry  and  excite- 
ment, for  a large  number  of  the  officials  of  the  Colo- 
nial Government  and  of  the  “ protected  ” States  are 
here  to  meet  Sir  W.  Robinson,  the  Governor,  who 
is  on  his  way  home  on  leave.  There  are  little 
studies  of  human  nature  going  on  all  round.  Most 
people  have  “axes  to  grind.”  There  are  people 
pushing  rival  claims,  some  wanting  promotion, 
others  leave  ; some  frank  and  above-board  in  their 
ways,  others  descending  to  mean  acts  to  gain  favor, 


BREAKFASTING  WITH  THE  GOVERNOR. 


32  1 


or  undermining  the  good  reputation  of  their  neigh- 
bors ; everybody  wanting  something,  and  usually, 
as  it  seems,  at  the  expense  of  somebody  else  ! 

Mr.  Douglas,  who  had  got  up  his  men  in  most 
imposing  costume,  anchored  the  Abdulsainat  close 
to  the  Peking , and  at  once  went  on  board,  with  the 
kris  with  the  gold  hilt  and  scabbard  presented  by 
the  Sultan  of  Selangor.  In  the  meantime  the  Gov- 
ernor sent  for  me  to  breakfast  on  board,  and  I was 
obliged  to  go  among  clean,  trim  people  without 
having  time  to  change  my  traveling  dress.  On 
deck  I was  introduced  by  the  Governor  to  Mr.  Low, 
the  Resident  in  Perak,  who  has  arranged  for  my 
transit  thither,  and  to  Mr.  Maxwell,  the  Assistant 
Resident.  I was  so  glad  that  I had  no  claims  of 
my  own  to  push  when  I saw  the  many  perturbed 
and  anxious  faces.  I sat  next  Sir  William  Robinson 
at  breakfast,  and  found  him  most  kind  and  cour- 
teous, and  he  interested  himself  in  my  impressions 
of  the  native  States.  No  one  could  make  out  the 
flags  on  the  Selangor  yacht,  four  squares  placed 
diagonally,  two  yellow  and  two  red,  in  one  of  the 
red  ones  a star  and  crescent  in  yellow,  and  on  the 
mizzenmast  the  same  flag  with  a blue  ensign  as  one 
of  the  squares ! I wonder  if  the  faineant  Sultan 
who  luxuriates  at  Langat  knows  anything  of  the 
sensationalism  of  his  “yacht.” 

Mr.  Douglas  took  me  back  to  the  launch  in  fierce 
blazing  heat,*which  smote  me  just  as  I put  down 

my  umbrella  in  order  to  climb  up  her  side,  and 
21 


322 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


caused  me  to  fall  forward  with  a sort  of  vertigo 
and  an  icy  chill,  but  as  soon  as  I arrived  here  I 
poured  deluges  of  cold  water  on  my  head,  and  lay 
down  with  an  iced  bandage  on,  and  am  now  much 
better.  In  nine  months  of  tropical  traveling,  and 
exposure  on  horseback  without  an  umbrella  to  the 
full  force  of  the  sun,  I have  never  been  affected 
before.  I wear  a white  straw  hat  with  the  sides  and 
low  crown  thickly  wadded.  I also  have  a strip  four 
inches  broad  of  three  thicknesses  of  wadding,  sewn 
into  the  middle  of  the  back  of  my  jacket,  and  usu- 
ally wear  in  addition  a coarse  towel  wrung  out  in 
water,  folded  on  the  top  of  my  head,  and  hanging 
down  the  back  of  my  neck. 

Soon  after  I came  into  the  salon  Mr.  Wood,  the 
Puisne  Judge,  a very  genial,  elderly  man,  called 
and  took  me  to  his  house,  where  I found  a very 
pleasant  party,  Sir  Thomas  Sidgreaves,  the  Chief 
Justice,  Mr.  Maxwell,  the  Assistant  Resident  in 
Perak,  Mr.  Walker,  appointed  to  the  (acting)  com- 
mand of  the  Sikh  force  in  Perak,  and  Mr.  Kinners- 
ley,  a Pinang  magistrate,  with  Mr.  Isemonger,  the 
police  magistrate  of  the  adjacent  Province  Welles- 
ley. With  an  alteration  in  the  names  of  places  and 
people,  the  conversation  was  just  what  I have  heard 
in  all  British  official  circles  from  Prince  Edward 
Island  to  Singapore,  who  was  likely  to  go  home  on 
leave,  who  might  get  a step,  whether  the  Governor 
would  return,  what  new  appointments  were  likely 
to  be  created,  etc.,  the  interest  in  all  these  matters 


IMPRESSIONS  OF  PINANG. 


323 

being  intensified  by  the  recent  visit  of  Sir  W.  Rob- 
inson. It  was  all  pleasant  and  interesting  to  me. 
This  evening  the  moonlight  from  the  window  was 

entrancingly  beautiful,  the  shadows  of  promontory 

* 


A KLING. 


behind  promontory  lying  blackly  on  the  silver  water 
amidst  the  scents  and  silences  of  the  purple  night. 

As  one  lands  on  Pinang  one  is  impressed  even 
before  reaching  the  shore  by  the  blaze  of  color  in 


324 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


the  costumes  of  the  crowds  which  throng  the  jetty. 
There  are  over  fifteen  thousand  Klings,  Chuliahs, 
and  other  natives  of  India  on  the  island,  and  with 
their  handsome  but  not  very  intellectual  faces,  their 
Turkey-red  turbans  and  lofrn-cloths,  or  the  soft, 
white  muslins  in  which  both  men  and  women  drape 
themselves,  each  one  might  be  an  artist’s  model. 
The  Kling  women  here  are  beautiful  and  exqui- 
sitely draped,  but  the  form  of  the  cartilage  of  the 
nose  and  ears  is  destroyed  by  heavy  rings.  There 
are  many  Arabs,  too,  who  are  wealthy  merchants  and 
bankers.  One  of  them,  Noureddin,  is  the  million- 
aire of  Pinang,  and  is  said  to  own  landed  property 
here  to  the  extent  of  ^400,000.  There  are  more 
than  twenty-one  thousand  Malays  on  the  island, 
and  though  their  kampongs  are  mostly  scattered 
among  the  palm-groves,  their  red  sarongs  and  white 
bajns  are  seen  in  numbers  in  the  streets;  but  I have 
not  seen  one  Malay  woman.  There  are  about  six 
hundred  and  twelve  Europeans  in  the  town  and  on 
Pinang,  but  they  make  little  show,  though  their 
large  massive  bungalows,  under  the  shade  of  great 
bread-fruit  and  tamarind-trees,  give  one  the  idea  of 
wealth  and  solidity. 

The  sio-ht  of  the  Asiatics  who  have  crowded  into 

o 

Georgetown  is  a wonderful  one,  Chinese,  Burmese, 
Javanese,  Arabs,  Malays,  Sikhs,  Madrassees,  Klings, 
Chuliahs,  and  Parsees,  and  still  they  come  in  junks 
and  steamers  and  strange  Arabian  craft,  and  all 
get  a living,  depend  slavishly  on  no  one,  never 


SECURITY  OF  LIFE  AND  PROPERTY. 


325 


lapse  into  pauperism,  retain  their  own  dress,  cus- 
toms, and  religion,  and  are  orderly.  One  asks  what 
is  bringing  this  swarthy,  motley  crowd  from  all 
Asian  lands,  from  the  Red  to  the  Yellow  Sea,  from 
Mecca  to  Canton,  and  one  of  my  Kling  boatmen 
answers  the  question,  “ Empress  good — coolie  get 
money  ; keep  it.”  This  being  interpreted  is,  that 
all  these  people  enjoy  absolute  security  of  life  and 
property  under  our  flag,  that  they  are  certain  of 
even-handed  justice  in  our  colonial  courts,  and  that 
“ the  roll  of  the  British  drum  ” and  the  presence  of 
a British  iron-clad  mean  to  them  simply  that  security 
which  is  represented  to  us  by  an  efficient  police 
force.  It  is  so  strange  to  see  that  other  European 
countries  are  almost  nowhere  in  this  strange  Far 
East.  Possibly  many  of  the  Chinese  have  heard 
of  Russia,  but  Russia,  France,  Germany,  and 
America,  the  whole  lot  of  the  “ Great  Powers  ” are 
represented  chiefly  by  a few  second-rate  war-ships, 
or  shabby  consulates  in  back  streets,  while  England 
is  a “name  to  conjure  with,”  and  is  represented  by 
prosperous  colonies,  powerful  protective  forces,  law, 
liberty,  and  security.  These  ideas  are  forced  so 
strongly  upon  me  as  I travel  westward,  that  I almost 
fear  that  I am  writing  in  a “ hifalutin  ” style,  so  I 
will  only  add  that  I think  that  our  Oriental  Grand 
Vizier  knew  Oriental  character  and  the  way  of  in- 
fluencing Oriental  modes  of  thinking  better  than 
his  detractors  when  he  added  et  Imperatrix  to  the 
much  loved  V.  R. 


326 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


This  is  truly  a brilliant  place  under  a brilliant 
sky,  but  Oh  I weary  lor  the  wilds  ! There  is  one 
street,  Chulia  Street,  entirely  composed  of  Chulia 
and  Kling  bazars.  Each  sidewalk  is  a rude 
arcade,  entered  by  passing  through  heavy  curtains, 
when  you  find  yourself  in  a narrow,  crowded 
passage,  with  deep  or  shallow  recesses  on  one  side, 
in  which  the  handsome,  brightly-dressed  Klings  sit 
on  the  floor,  surrounded  by  their  bright-hued  goods ; 
and  over  one’s  head  and  all  down  the  narrow, 
thronged  passage,  noisy  with  business,  are  hung 
Malay  bandannas,  red  turban  cloths,  red  sarongs 
in  silk  and  cotton,  and  white  and  gold  sprinkled 
muslins,  the  whole  length  of  the  very  long  bazaar, 
blazing  with  color,  and  picturesque  beyond  descrip- 
tion with  beautiful  costume.  The  Klincrs  are  much 

o 

pleasanter  to  buy  from  than  the  Chinese.  In  ad- 
dition to  all  the  brilliant  thino;s  which  are  sold  for 
native  wear,  they  keep  large  stocks  of  English  and 
German  prints,  which  they  sell  for  rather  less  than 
the  price  asked  for  them  at  home,  and  for  less  than 
half  what  the  same  goods  are  sold  for  at  the  Eng- 
lish shops. 

I am  writing  as  if  the  Klings  were  predominant, 
but  they  are  so  only  in  good  looks  and  bright  colors. 
Here  again  the  Chinese,  who  number  forty-five 
thousand  souls,  are  becoming  commercially  the 
most  important  of  the  immigrant  races,  as  they 
have  long  been  numerically  and  industrially.  In 
Georgetown,  besides  selling-  their  own  and  all  sorts 

o 7 o 


CHINESE  CHARACTERISTICS.  32 7 

of  foreign  goods  at  reasonable  rates  in  small  shops, 
they  have  large  mercantile  houses,  and,  as  else- 
where, are  gradually  gaining  a considerable  control 
over  the  trade  of  the  place.  They  also  occupy  po- 
sitions of  trust  in  foreign  houses,  and  if  there  were 
a strike  among  them  all  business,  not  excepting 
that  of  the  Post  Office,  would  come  to  a standstill. 
I went  into  the  Mercantile  Bank  and  found  only 
Chinese  clerks,  in  the  Post  Office  and  only  saw 
the  same,  and  when  I went  to  the  “ P.  and  O.” 
office  to  take  my  berth  for  Ceylon,  it  was  still  a 
Chinaman,  imperturbable,  taciturn,  independent,  and 
irreproachably  clean,  with  whom  I had  to  deal  in 
“pidjun  English.”  They  are  everywhere  the  same, 
keen,  quick-witted  for  chances,  markedly  self-in- 
terested, purpose-like,  thrifty,  frugal,  on  the  whole 
regarding  honesty  as  the  best  policy,  independent 
in  manner  as  in  character,  and  without  a trace  of 
“Oriental  servility.” 

Georgetown,  February  1 1 tli. — I have  not  seen 
very  much  in  my  two  days  ; indeed,  I doubt  whether 
there  is  much  to  see,  in  my  line  at  least ; nor  has 
the  island  any  interesting  associations  as  Malacca 
has,  or  any  mystery  of  unexplored  jungle  as  in 
Sungei  Ujong  and  Selangor.  Pinang  came  into 
our  possession  in  1786,  through  the  enterprise  of 
Mr.  Light,  a merchant  captain,  who  had  acquired 
much  useful  local  knowledge  by  trading  to  Kedah 
and  other  Malay  States.  The  Indian  Government 
desired  a commercial  “ emporium  ” and  a naval 


328 


THE  GOLDEiV  CHERSONESE. 


station  in  the  far  east,  and  Mr.  Light  recommended 
this  island,  then  completely  covered  with  forest, 
and  only  inhabited  by  two  migratory  families  of 
Malay  fishermen,  whose  huts  were  on  the  beach 
where  this  town  now  stands.  In  spite  of  romantic 
stories  of  another  kind,  to  which  even  a recent  en- 
cyclopedia gives  currency,  it  seems  that  the  Rajah 
of  Kedah,  to  whom  the  island  belonged,  did  not 
bestow  it  on  Mr.  Light,  but  sold  it  to  the  British 
Government  for  a stipulated  payment  of  ^2,000  a 
year,  which  his  successor  receives  at  this  day. 

It  is  little  over  thirteen  miles  long,  and  from  five 
to  ten  broad.  It  is  a little  smaller  than  the  Isle  of 
Wight,  its  area  being  one  hundred  and  seven  square 
miles. 

The  roads  are  excellent.  After  one  has  got  in- 
side of  the  broad  belt  of  cocoa  and  areca  palms 
which  runs  along  the  coast,  one  comes  upon  beauti- 
ful and  fertile  country,  partly  level,  and  partly  roll- 
ing , with  rocks  of  granite  and  mica-schist,  and  soil 
of  a shallow  but  rich  vegetable  mould,  with  abun- 
dance of  streams  and  little  cascades,  dotted  all  over 
with  villas  (very  many  of  them  Chinese)  and  gar- 
dens, and  planted  with  rice,  pepper  and  fruits, 
while  cloves  and  nutmegs,  which  last  have  been 
long  a failure,  grow  on  the  higher  lands.  The 
centre  of  Pinang  is  wooded  and  not  much  cultivated, 
but  on  the  south  and  south-west  coasts  there  are 
fine  sugar,  coffee  and  pepper  plantations.  The 
coffee  looks  very  healthy.  From  the  ridges  in  the 


/ 


A PEPPER  PLANTATION.  329 

centre  of  the  island  the  ground  rises  toward  the 
north,  till,  at  the  Peak,  it  reaches  the  height  of  two 
thousand  nine  hundred  and  twenty-two  feet.  There 
is  a sanitarium  there  with  a glorious  view,  and  a 
delicious  temperature  ranging  from  6o°  to  750, 
while  in  the  town  and  on  the  low  lands  it  ranges 
from  8o°  to  90°.  A sea  breeze  blows  every  day, 
and  rain  falls  throughout  the  year,  except  in  Jan- 
uary and  February.  The  vegetation  is  profuse, 
but  less  beautiful  and  tropical  than  on  the  mainland, 
and  I have  seen  very  few  flowers  except  in  gar- 
dens. 

The  products  are  manifold — guavas,  mangoes, 
lemons,  oranges,  bananas,  plantains,  shaddocks, 
bread-fruit,  etc.;  and  suger,  rice,  sweet  potatoes, 
ginger,  areca,  and  cocoanuts,  coffee,  cloves,  some 
nutmegs,  and  black  and  white  pepper.  My  gharrie 
driver  took  me  to  see  a Chinese  pepper  plantation 
— to  me  the  most  interesting  thing-  that  I saw  on  a 
very  long  and  hot  drive.  Pepper  is  a very  profit- 
able crop.  The  vine  begins  to  bear  in  three  or 
four  years  after  the  cuttings  have  been  planted,  and 
yields  two  crops  annually  for  about  thirteen  years. 
It  is  an  East  Indian  plant,  rather  pretty,  but  of 
rambling  and  untidy  growth,  a climber,  with  smooth, 
soft  stems,  ten  or  twelve  feet  long,  and  tough, 
broadly  ovate  leaves.  It  is  supported  much  as 
hops  are.  When  the  berries  on  a spike  begin  to 
turn  red  they  are  gathered,  as  they  lose  pungency 
if  they  are  allowed  to  ripen.  They  are  placed  on 


33° 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


mats,  and  are  either  trodden  with  the  feet  or  rubbed 
by  the  hands  to  separate  them  from  the  spike,  after 
which  they  are  cleaned  by  winnowing.  Black  pep- 
per consists  of  such  berries  wrinkled  and  blackened 
in  the  process  of  drying,  and  white  pepper  of  simi- 
lar berries  freed  from  the  skin  and  the  fleshy  part 
of  the  fruit  by  being  soaked  in  water  and  then 
rubbed.  Some  planters  bleach  with  chlorine  to 
improve  the  appearance;  but  this  process,  as  may 
be  supposed,  does  not  improve  the  flavor. 

In  these  climates  the  natives  use  enormous 
quantities  of  pepper,  as  they  do  of  all  hot  condi- 
ments, and  the  Europeans  imitate  them. 

Although  there  are  so  many  plantations,  a great 
part  of  Pinang  is  uncleared,  and  from  the  Peak 
most  of  it  looks  like  a forest.  It  contains  ninety 
thousand  inhabitants,  the  Chinese  more  than 
equaling  all  the  other  nationalities  put  together. 
Its  trade,  which  in  i860  was  valued  at  ^3,500,000, 
is  now  (1880)  close  upon  ,£8,000,000,  Pinang  being, 
like  Singapore,  a great  entrepot  and  “ distributing 
point.” 

Now  for  the  wilds  once  more  ! 


I.  L.  B.  ’ 


A CHAPTER  ON  PERAK. 


The  “protected”  State  of  Perak  (pronounced 
Payrah)  is  the  richest  and  most  important  of  the 
States  of  the  Peninsula,  as  well  as  one  of  the 
largest.  Its  coast-line,  broken  into,  however,  by  a 
bit  of  British  territory,  is  about  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  miles  in  length.  Its  sole  southern 
boundary  is  the  State  of  Selangor.  On  the  north 
it  has  the  British  colony  of  Province  W ellesley, 
and  the  native  States  of  Kedah  and  Patani,  tribu- 
tary to  Siam.  Its  eastern  boundary  is  only  an 
approximate  one,  Kelantan  joining  it  in  the  midst 
of  a vast  tract  of  unexplored  country  inhabited 
solely  by  the  Sakei  and  Semang  aborigines.  The 
State  is  about  eighty  miles  wide  at  its  widest  part, 
and  thirty  at  its  narrowest,  and  is  estimated  to  con- 
tain between  four  and  five  thousand  square  miles. 
The  great  artery  of  the  country  is  the  Perak  river, 
a most  serpentine  stream.  Ships  drawing  thirteen 
feet  of  water  can  ascend  it  as  far  as  Durian  Saba- 
tang,  fifty  miles  from  its  mouth,  and  boats  can 
navigate  it  for  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  farther. 
This  river,  even  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from 
its  mouth  at  Kwala  Kangsa,  is  two  hundred  yards 
wide,  and  might  easily  be  ascended  by  “stern- 


332 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


wheel  ” boats  drawing  a foot  of  water,  such  as  those 
which  ply  on  the  upper  Mississippi.  Next  in  size 
to  the  Perak  is  the  Kinta,  which  falls  into  the 
Perak,  besides  which  there  are  the  Bernam  and 
Batang  Padang  rivers,  both  navigable  for  vessels  of 
light  draught.  Along  the  shores  of  these  streams 
most  of  the  Malay  kampongs  are  built. 

The  interior  of  Perak  is  almost  altogether  cov- 
ered with  magnificent  forests,  out  of  which  rise  iso- 
lated  limestone  hills,  and  mountain  ranges  from 
five  thousand  to  eight  thousand  feet  in  height. 
The  scenery  is  beautiful.  The  neighborhood  of 
the  mangrove  swamps  of  the  coast  is  low  and 
swampy,  but  as  the  ground  rises,  the  earth  which 
has  been  washed  down  from  the  hills  becomes  fer- 
tile, and  farther  inland  the  plains  are  so  broken  up 
by  natural  sand  ridges  which  lighten  the  soil,  that 
it  is  very  suitable  for  rice  culture. 

Tin  is  the  most  abundant  of  the  mineral  products 
of  Perak,  and,  as  in  the  other  States,  the  supply  is 
apparently  inexhaustible.  So  far  it  is  obtained  in 
“ stream  works  ” only.  The  export  of  this  metal 
has  risen  from  ,£144,000  in  1876  to  ,£436,000  in 
1881.  Tin-mining  continues  to  attract  a steady 
stream  of  Chinese  immigration,  and  the  Resident 
believes  that  the  number  of  Chinamen  has  increased 
from  twenty  thousand  in  1879  to  forty  thousand  in 
1881.  Wealth  is  reckoned  in  slabs  of  tin,  and 
lately  for  an  act  of  piracy  a Rajah  was  fined  so 
many  slabs  of  tin,  instead  of  so  many  hogsheads  of 


GOLD  AND  DIAMONDS 


333 


oil,  as  he  would  have  been  on  the  West  African 
coast. 

Gold  is  found  in  tolerable  quantities,  even  by  the 
Malay  easy-going  manner  of  searching  for  it,  and 
diamonds  and  garnets  are  tolerably  abundant. 
Gold  can  be  washed  with  little  difficulty  from  most 
of  the  river  beds,  and  from  various  alluvial  deposits. 
The  metal  thus  found  is  pure,  but  “rough  and 
shotty.”  The  nearer  the  mountains  the  larger  the 
find.  It  is  of  a rich,  red  color.  Iron  ore  is  abundant ; 
but  though  coal  has  been  found,  it  is  not  of  any  com- 
mercial value.  The  methods  of  mining  both  for 
tin  and  gold  are  of  the  most  elementary  kind,  and 
it  is  probable  that  Perak  has  still  vast  metallic 
treasures  to  yield  up  to  scientific  exploration  and 
Anglo-Saxon  energy. 

Rice  is  the  staple  food  of  the  inhabitants.  Dry 
rice  on  the  hillsides  was  the  kind  which  was  for- 
merly exclusively  cultivated,  but  from  some  Indians 
who  came  from  Sumatra  to  Perak  the  Malays  have 
learned  the  mode  of  growing  the  wet  variety,  and 
it  is  now  largely  practiced.  Partly  in  consequence 
of  a great  lack  of  agricultural  energy,  and  partly 
from  the  immense  quantity  of  rice  required  by  the 
non-producing  Chinese  miners,  Perak  imported  in 
1 88 1 rice  to  the  value  of  £y 0,000. 

There  is  scarcely  a tropical  product  which  this 
magnificent  region  does  not  or  may  not  produce, 
gutta-percha,  india-rubber,  sago,  tapioca,  palm-oil  and 
fibre,  yams,  sweet  potatoes,  cloves,  nutmegs,  coffee, 


334 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


tobacco,  pepper,  gambier,  with  splendid  fruits  in  per- 
fection— the  banana,  bread-fruit,  anona,  cocoa-nut, 


GOMUTI  PALM. 


mangosteen,  durion,  jak-irmt,  cashew-nut,  guava, 
bullock’s  heart,  pomegranate,  shaddock,  custard- 
apple,  papaya,  pine  apple,  with  countless  others. 


PROJECTED  RAILROADS. 


335 


The  indigenous  fruits  alone  are  so  innumerable, 
that  a description  of  the  most  valuable  of  them 
would  fill  a chapter. 

Our  homely  vegetables  do  not  flourish,  but  water- 
melons,cucumbers,  gourds,  capsicums,  chilies,  cocoa- 
nut  cabbage,  edible  arums,  and,  where  the  Chinese 
have  settled,  coarse  lettuces,  radishes,  and  pulse, 
grow  abundantly,  with  various  other  not  altogether 
to  be  despised  vegetables  with  Malay  names. 

The  timber  is  magnificent,  and  under  the  un- 
worthy name  of  “jungle  produce”  a large  trade  is 
done  in  it.  Perak  is  the  land  of  palms,  and  pro- 
duces the  invaluable  cocoa-palm,  most  parts  of  which 
have  their  commercial  value,  the  areca  palm  which 
produces  the  betel-nut,  the  gomuti  palm  from  whose 
strong  black  fibres  they  make  ropes,  cordage,  and 
strands  for  capturing  the  alligator ; the  jaggary- 
palm,  from  which  sugar  is  made,  as  well  as  a fer- 
mented beverage  ; the  nibong  palm,  which  grows 
round  the  Malay  kampongs , and  is  used  for  their 
gridiron  floors  and  for  the  posts  of  their  houses  ; 
the  dwarf-palms  which  serve  no  other  purpose  than 
to  gladden  the  eyes  by  their  beauty  ; and  the  nipah 
palm  which  fringes  the  rivers,  and,  under  the  name 
of  at  tap,  forms  the  thatch  of  both  native  and  for- 
eign houses. 

Road-making  has  not  made  great  strides  in  Perak, 
but  railroads  are  being  planned,  and  a good  road 
extends  from  the  port  of  Larut  to  the  great  Chinese 
mining  town  of  Taipeng,  and  thence  to  the  British 


336 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


residency  at  Kwala  Kangsa,  a distance  of  over 
thirty-three  miles,  the  electric  telegraph  accompany- 
ing the  road.  Others  are  in  course  of  construction, 
and  there  are  numerous  elephant  and  jungle  tracks 
through  the  western  parts  of  the  State. 

Still,  the  rivers  form  the  natural  highways.  Perak 
has  two  ports — Teluk  Anson  on  the  Perak  river, 
thirty-four  miles  from  its  mouth,  and  Teluk  Ker- 
tang,  a few  miles  up  the  Larut  river,  and  eight 
miles  from  the  great  tin-mines  of  Taipeng.  The 
import  and  export  trade  is  carried  on  mainly  with 
Pinang,  and  at  this  time  one  of  several  small  steam- 
ers leaves  Larut  for  that  port  daily.  A steamer 
calls  at  Teluk  Anson  once  a fortnight  on  her  voy- 
age from  and  to  Singapore  and  Pinang,  and  another 
calls  at  the  same  port  every  fourth  day,  as  well  as 
at  the  Dindings  and  the  Bernam  river. 

Trade  is  rapidly  advancing.  The  exports  of  the 
State,  which  were  valued  at  ,£147,993  in  1876, 
amounted  to  .£513,317  in  1881  ; and  the  imports 
which  amounted  to  ,£166,275  in  1 8 76,  had  reached 
,£488,706  in  1881,  the  whole  import  and  export 
trade  of  that  year  amounting  to  ,£1,002,023.  The 


population  of  Perak  is 

now  estimated  at 

Malays 

56,000 

Chinese 

. . 40,000 

Other  Asiatics  . 

O 

CO 

Europeans 

9° 

Aborigines 

. . 1,000 

97,940 


REVENUE  OF  Pfi.RAK.  337 

To  which  may  be  added  a slave  and  bond  debtor 
population  of  nearly  four  thousand  souls. 

The  revenue  of  Perak  has  risen  from  £42,683  in 
1876  to  £138,572  in  1881  ; and  the  expenditure, 
keeping  pace  with  it,  has  risen  from  ,£45,277  in 
1876  to  £130,587  in  1881.  The  chief  sources  of 
the  Perak  revenue  are  customs  duties,  opium  and 
other  farms  and  licenses,  and  land  revenue  ; and  the 
chief  items  of  expenditure  are  for  civil  and  police 
establishments,  roads  and  bridges,  and  allowances 
and  pensions  to  chiefs.  It  is  worthy  of  remark  that 
the  military  establishment — for  so  the  magnificent 
Sikh  armed  police  force  may  be  called — costs  more 
than  the  civil  establishment.  It  may  also  be  re- 
marked that  the  revenue  of  Perak,  thanks  to  the 
financial  sagacity  and  wise  discrimination  of  the 
Resident,  is  collected  with  little  difficulty,  and 
without  inflicting  any  real  vexations  or  hardships  on 
the  taxpayers. 

Public  works,  such  as  the  construction  of  good 
cart  roads  and  bridges,  the  making  of  canals,  the 
clearing  rivers  from  impediments  to  navigation,  the 
enlargement  of  experimental  gardens,  the  introduc- 
tion and  breeding  of  sheep,  cattle,  and  improved 
breeds  of  poultry,  surveying  wild  land,  and  rebuild- 
ing and  draining  mining  towns,  are  being  carried 
on  energetically.  It  has  been  found,  after  long 
and  carefully-conducted  experiments,  that  the  lower 
mountains  of  Perak  are  admirably  suited  for  the 
growth  of  tea,  cinchona,  and  Arabian  coffee,  while 


22 


33§ 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


Liberian  coffee  grows  equally  well  on  the  lower 
lands.  Coffee  appears  to  be  so  nearly  “ played 
out  ” in  Ceylon,  that  many  coffee-planters  have  been 
“ prospecting”  in  Perak  ; and  now  that  the  Govern- 
ment of  India  has  consented  to  the  importation  of 
Indian  coolie  labor  into  the  State,  under  certain 
restrictions,  as  an  experimental  measure,  a future 
of  coffee  may  be  predicted  with  tolerable  certainty. 
One  of  the  causes  for  satisfaction  in  connection  with 
this  State  is  that  the  Malays  themselves  are  un- 
doubtedly contented  with  British  rule,  and  are  pros- 
pering under  it.  Crime  of  any  kind  in  the  Malay 
districts  is  very  rare.  The  “village  system”  works 
well,  and  the  courts  of  law  conduct  their  business 
with  an  efficiency  and  economy  which  compare 
favorably  with  the  transactions  of  our  colonial 
courts  ; English  law  is  being  gradually  introduced 
and  gives  general  satisfaction,  and  the  native 
Rajahs  are  being  trained  to  administer  even-handed 
justice  according  to  its  provisions,  and  at  the  same 
time  without  trenching  upon  Malay  religion  and 
custom.  Slavery  and  debt  bondage,  which,  as 
hitherto  practiced  in  Perak,  have  involved  evils  and 
cruelties  which  are  unknown  to  any  but  those  who 
have  actually  lived  in  the  State,  will,  it  is  hoped, 
be  abolished  by  equitable  arrangement  in  1883. 
Various  difficulties  remain  to  be  settled  ; the  large 
Chinese  element,  with  its  criminal  tendencies,  re- 
quires great  firmness  of  dealing,  and  the  introduc- 
tion of  foreign  capital  and  an  additional  form  of 


EARLY  SE  T ELEMENT  OF  P&RAK.  339 

alien  labor  may  lead  to  new  perplexities  ; but  on 
the  whole  the  outlook  for  Perak  and  its  people  is 
a favorable  one,  especially  if  the  present  Resident, 
Mr.  Hugh  Low,  is  able  to  remain  to  continue  his 
task  of  developing  the  resources,  settling  the  diffi- 
culties, and  consolidating  the  well-being  of  the 
State. 

Nothing  is  known  of  the  early  settlement  of 
Perak.  It  was  formerly  tributary  to  the  Malay 
sovereigns  of  Malacca,  and  afterward  to  those  of 
Acheen,  to  whom  the  Perak  Sultans  sent  gold  and 
silver  flowers  as  tribute.  Siam  has  also  at  different 
times  asserted  sovereign  rights  and  demanded 
tribute,  but  the  Siamese  were  expelled  in  1822  with 
the  help  of  Rajah  Ibrahim,  the  warlike  chief  of 
the  neighboring  State  of  Selangor.  The  Govern- 
ment was  a despotism,  administered  during  the 
last  three  centuries  by  Sultans  who  were  connected 
with  the  ruling  dynasties  of  J chore  and  Acheen. 

Our  connection  with  Perak  began  in  1818  by  a 
commercial  treaty  between  the  East  India  Com- 
pany and  the  Sultan,  the  chief  object  of  which  was 
to  circumvent  the  Dutch  on  the  subject  of  tin.  By 
another  treaty,  in  1826,  it  was  agreed  that  the  Sul- 
tan should  govern  his  country  according  to  his  own 
will ; that  no  force  should  be  sent  either  by  Siam 
to  “ molest,  attack,  or  disturb  ” Perak  ; and  while 
it  was  stipulated  that  the  Siamese  should  not  at- 
tack or  disturb  Selangor,  the  English  encraofed  not 
to  allow  Selangor  to  attack  or  disturb  Perak. 

O 


340 


THE  GOLDEN  CLIERSONESE. 


So  things  jogged  along  till  1871,  when  the  Sul- 
tan died,  and  the  Rajahs,  passing  over  two  men  who 
by  blood  were  nearest  to  the  throne,  elected  Ismail, 
an  old  and  somewhat  inoffensive  man.  Three  years 
of  intrigue  followed,  and  many  singular  complica- 
tions, which  would  be  quite  uninteresting  to  the 
general  reader,  and  they  furnished  no  excuse  for 
English  interference. 

It  is  singular  that  the  fall  of  Perak  as  an  inde- 
pendent State  was  brought  about  by  what  may  be 
called  a civil  war  among  the  Chinese,  who  in  1871 
were  estimated  at  thirty  thousand,  and  were  princi- 
pally engaged  in  tin-mining  in  Larut.  These  Chi- 
namen were  divided  into  two  sections — the  Go 
Kwans  and  the  Si  Ivwans  ; and  a few  months  after 
Sultan  Ismail  was  elected,  a dispute  arose  between 
the  factions.  Both  parties  flew  to  arms,  and  were 
aided  with  guns,  ammunition,  military  stores,  and 
food  from  Pinang,  Pinang  Chinese  having  previ- 
ously supplied  the  capital  needed  for  working  the 
mines.  The  settlement  was  kept  in  perpetual  hot 
water,  its  trade  languished,  and  in  return  for  mili- 
tary equipments  the  Chinese  of  Larut  sent  over 
two  thousend  wounded  and  starving  men.  The 
Mentri,  the  Malay  “ Governor  ” of  Larut,  although 
aided  by  Captain  Speedy  and  a force  of  well- 
drilled  troops  recruited  by  him  in  India,  and  pos- 
sessing four  Krupp  guns,  was  powerless  to  restore 
order,  and  Larut  was  destroyed,  being  absolutely 
turned  into  a wilderness,  in  which  all  but  three 


EFFECTS  OF  THE  WAR. 


341 


houses  had  been  burned,  and,  while  the  Malays  had 
fled,  the  surviving  Si  Kwans  were  living  behind 
stockades,  while  those  of  the  faction  opposed  to 
that  with  which  the  Mentri  and  his  Commander-in- 
Chief,  Captain  Speedy,  had  allied  themselves,  were 
living  on  the  products  of  orchards  from  which  their 
owners  had  been  driven,  and  on  booty,  won  by  a 
wholesale  .system  of  piracy  and  murder,  practiced 
not  only  on  the  Perak  waters  but  on  the  high  seas. 

The  war  waged  between  the  two  parties  threat- 
ened to  become  a war  of  extermination  ; horrible 
atrocities  were  perpetrated  on  both  sides ; and  it  is 
said  and  believed  that  as  many  as  three  thousand 
belligerents  were  slain  on  one  day  early  in  the  dis- 
turbances. If  the  course  of  prohibiting  the  export 
of  munitions  of  war  had  been  persevered  in  the 
strife  would  have  died  a natural  death ; but  the 
Mentri  made  representations  which  induced  the 
authorities  of  the  Straits  to  accord  a certain  de- 
gree of  support  to  himself  and  the  Si  Kwans,  by 
limiting  the  prohibition  to  his  enemies  the  Go 
Kwans.  Things  at  last  became  so  intolerable  in 
Larut,  and  as  a consequence  in  Pinang,  that  the 
Governor  of  the  Straits  Settlements,  Sir  A.  Clarke, 
thought  it  was  time  to  interfere.  During  these 
disturbances  in  Larut,  Lower  Perak  and  the  Ma- 
lays generally  were  living  peaceably  under  Ismail, 
their  elected  Sultan.  Abdullah,  who  was  regarded 
as  his  rival,  was  a fugitive,  with  neither  followers, 
money,  nor  credit.  He  had,  however,  friends  in 


342 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


Singapore,  to  one  of  whom,  King  Cheng,  a well- 
known  Chinaman,  he  had  promised  a lucrative  ap- 
pointment if  he  would  prevail  on  the  Straits  author- 
ities to  recognize  him  as  Sultan.  Lord  Kimberley 
had  previously  instructed  the  Governor  to  consider 
the  expediency  of  introducing  the  “ Residential  sys- 
tem ” into  “ any  of  the  Malay  States,”  and  the  oc- 
casion soon  presented  itself. 

An  English  merchant  in  Singapore  and  Kim 
Cheng  drafted  a letter  to  the  Governor,  which 
Abdullah  signed,  in  which  this  chief  expressed  his 
desire  to  place  Perak  under  British  protection,*  and 
“ to  have  a man  of  sufficient  abilities  to  show  him 
a good  system  of  government.”  Sir  A.  Clarke,  thus 
appealed  to,  went  to  Pulo  Pangkor,  off  the  Perak 
coast,  summoned  the  Chinese  head  men  and  the 
Malay  chiefs  to  meet  him  there,  and  so  effectively 
reconciled  the  former,  who  were  bound  over  to 
keep  the  peace,  that  they  were  not  again  heard  of. 
The  Governor  stated  to  the  Malay  chief  and  Ab- 
dullah that  it  was  the  duty  of  England  to  take  care 


* Abdullah  informs  “our  friend”  Sir  W.  Jervois,  that  his  position  and 
that  of  Perak  are  “ in  a most  deplorable  state,”  that  there  are  two  Sultans 
between  whom  no  arrangement  can  be  made,  that  the  revenues  are  badly 
raised,  and  the  laws  are  not  executed  with  justice.  “ For  these  reasons,"  he 
says,  “we  see  that  Perak  is  in  very  great  distress,  and,  in  our  opinion,  the 
affairs  of  Perak  cannot  be  settled  except  with  strong,  active  assurance  from 
our  friend  the  representative  of  Queen  Victoria,  the  greatest  and  most 
noble.  . . . We  earnestly  beg  our  friend  to  give  complete  assistance  to 
Perak,  and  govern  it,  in  order  that  this  country  may  obtain  safety  and  happi- 
ness, and  that  proper  revenues  maybe  raised,  and  the  laws  administered  with 
justice,  and  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  country  may  live  in  comfort.” 


THE  ACCESSION  OF  ABDULLAH.  343 

that  the  proper  person  in  the  line  of  succession  was 
chosen  for  the  throne.  He  inquired  if  there  were  any 
objection  to  Abdullah,  and  on  none  being  made,  the 
chiefs  signed  a paper  dictated  by  Sir  A.  Clarke, 
since  known  as  the  “ Pangkor  Treaty.”  Its  articles 
deposed  Ismail,  created  Abdullah  Sultan,  ceded  two 
tracts  of  territory  to  England,  and  provided  that  the 
new  ruler  should  receive  an  English  Resident  and 
Assistant  Resident,  whose  salaries  and  expenses 
should  be  the  first  charge  on  the  revenue  of  the 
country,  whose  counsel  must  be  asked  and  “acted 
upon  ” on  all  questions  other  than  those  of  religion 
and  custom,  and  under  whose  advice  the  collection 
and  control  of  all  revenues  and  the  general  adminis- 
tration should  be  regulated.  After  the  signing  of  this 
treaty  piracy  ceased  in  the  Perak  waters,  and  Larut 
was  repeopled  and  became  settled  and  prosperous. 

So  far,  as  regards  the  Sultanate,  I have  followed 
the  account  given  by  Sir  Benson  Maxwell.  Mr. 
Swettenham,  however,  writes  that  Abdullah  failed 
to  obtain  complete  recognition  of  himself  as  Sul- 
tan, and  instead  of  fulfilling  the  duties  of  his 
position,  devoted  himself  to  opium-smoking,  cock- 
fighting,  and  other  vices,  estranging,  by  his  over- 
bearing manner  and  pride  of  position,  those  who 
only  needed  forbearance  to  make  them  his  sup- 
porters. It  may  be  remarked  that ’Abdullah  was 
not  as  yielding  as  had  been  expected  to  his  English 
advisers. 

The  Pangkor  Treaty  was  signed  in  January, 


344 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


1874.  On  November  2d,  1875,  Mr.  Birch,  the 
British  Resident,  who  had  arrived  the  evening 
before  at  the  village  of  Passir  Salah  to  post  up 
orders  and  proclamations  announcing  that  the 
whole  kingdom  of  Perak  was  henceforth  to  be 
governed  by  English  officers,  was  murdered  as  he 
was  preparing  for  the  bath. 

On  this  provocation  we  entered  upon  a “little 
war,”  Perak  became  known  in  England,  and  the 
London  press  began  to  ask  how  it  was  that  colonial 
officers  were  suffered  to  make  conquests  and  in- 
crease Imperial  responsibilities  without  the  sanction 
of  Parliament.  Lord  Carnarvon  telegraphed  to 
Singapore  that  he  could  not  sanction  the  use  of 
troops  “for  annexation  or  any  other  large  political 
aims,”  supplementing  his  telegram  by  a despatch 
stating  that  the  residential  system  had  been  only 
sanctioned  provisionally,  as  an  experiment,  and 
declaring  that  the  Government  would  not  keep 
troops  in  a country  “continuing  to  possess  an 
independent  jurisdiction,  for  the  purpose  of  en- 
forcing measures  which  the  natives  did  not  cheer- 

o 

fully  accept.” 

As  the  sequel  to  the  war  and  Mr.  Birch’s  murder, 
Ismail,  who  had  retained  authority  over  a part  of 
Perak,  was  banished  to  Johore  ; Abdullah,  the  Sul- 
tan, and  the  Mentri  of  Larut,  who  was  designated 
as  an  “ intriguing  character,”  were  exiled  to  the 
Seychelles,  and  the  Rajah  Muda  Yusuf,  a prince 
who,  by  all  accounts,  was  regarded  as  exceedingly 


PERAK’S  NEEDS.  7,45 

obnoxious,  was  elevated  to  the  regency,  Perak  at 
the  same  time  passing  virtually  under  our  rule. 

A great  mist  of  passion  and  prejudice  envelops 
our  dealings  with  the  chiefs  and  people  of  this 
State,  both  before  and  after  the  war.  Sir  Benson 
Maxwell  in  “ Our  Malay  Conquests,”  presents  a 
formidable  arraignment  against  the  Colonial  au- 
thorities, and  Major  M’Nair,  in  his  book  on  Perak, 
justifies  all  their  proceedings.  If  I may  venture  to 
give  an  opinion  upon  so  controverted  a subject,  it 
is,  that  all  Colonial  authorities  in  their  dealings 
with  native  races,  all  Residents  and  their  subordi- 
nates, and  all  transactions  between  ourselves  and 
the  weak  peoples  of  the  Far  East,  would  be  better 
for  having  something  of  “ the  fierce  light  which 
beats  upon  a throne  ” turned  upon  them.  The  good 
have  nothing  to  fear,  the  bad  would  be  revealed 
in  their  badness,  and  hasty  counsels  and  ambitious 
designs  would  be  held  in  check.  Public  opinion 
never  reaches  these  equatorial  jungles ; we  are 
grossly  ignorant  of  their  inhabitants  and  their 
rights,  of  the  manner  in  which  our  interference 
originated,  and  how  it  has  been  exercised  ; and 
unless  some  fresh  disturbance  and  another  “ little 
war  ” should  concentrate  our  attention  for  a mo- 
ment on  these  distant  States,  we  are  likely  to  re- 
main so,  to  their  great  detriment,  and  not  a little, 
in  one  respect  of  the  case  at  least,  to  our  own. 

When  the  changes  in  Perak  were  completed,  Mr. 
Hugh  Low,  formerly  administrator  of  the  Govern- 


346 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


ment  of  Labuan,  was  appointed  Resident,  and  Mr. 
W.  E.  Maxwell,  who  had  had  considerable  experi- 
ence in  Malay  affairs,  Assistant  Resident.  Both 
these  gentlemen  speak  the  Malay  tongue  readily 
and  idiomatically,  and  Mr.  Maxwell  is  an  accom- 
plished Malay  scholar.  Of  both  the  superior  and 
subordinate  it  may  truly  be  said  that,  by  tact,  firm- 
ness, patience,  and  a uniformly  just  regard  for  both 
Malay  and  Chinese  interests,  they  have  not  only 
pacified  the  State,  but  have  conciliated  the  Rajahs, 
and  in  the  main  have  reconciled  the  people  to  the 
new  order  of  things. 


LETTER  XVIII. 


British  Residency, 

Larut,  February  II. 

I left  Mr.  Justice  Wood’s  yesterday,  and  his 
servant  dispatched  me  from  the  jetty  in  a large 
boat  with  an  attap  awning  and  six  Kling  rowers, 
whose  oars  worked  in  nooses  of  rope.  The  nar- 
row Strait  was  very  calm,  and  the  hot,  fiery  light  of 
the  tropic  evening  resting  upon  it,  made  it  look  like 
oil  rather  than  water.  In  half  an  hour  I landed  on 
the  other  side  in  the  prosperous  Province  Welles- 
ley, under  a row  of  magnificent  casuarina  trees, 
with  gray,  feathery  foliage  drooping  over  a beach 
of  corals  and,  behind  which  are  the  solemn  glades  of 
cocoa-nut  groves.  On  the  little  jetty  a Sikh  police- 
man waited  for  me;  and  presently  Mrs.  Isemonger, 
wife  of  the  police  magistrate  of  the  Province,  met 
me  on  the  bright,  green  lawn  studded  with  clumps 
of  alamanda,  which  surrounds  their  lovely,  palm- 
shaded  bungalow. 

Though  the  shadows  were  falling,  Mr.  Isemonger 
took  me  to  see  something  of  the  back  country  in  a 
trap  with  a fiery  Sumatra  pony.  There  are  miles 
of  cocoa-nut  plantations  belonging  to  Chinamen  all 
along  the  coast,  with  the  trees  in  straight  lines 

347 


348  THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

forming  long,  broad  avenues,  which  have  a certain 
gloomy  grandeur  about  them.  Then  come  sugar- 
cane and  padi,  and  then  palm  plantations  again. 

The  cocoa-nut  palm  grows  best  near  salt  water, 
no  matter  how  loose  and  sandy  the  soil  is,  and  in 
these  congenial  circumstances  needs  neither  ma- 

o 

nure  nor  care  of  any  kind.  It  bends  lovingly  to- 
ward the  sea,  and  drops  its  ripe  fruit  into  it.  But 
if  it  is  planted  more  than  two  hundred  yards  from 
the  beach,  it  needs  either  rich  or  well-manured  soil, 
or  the  proximity  of  human  habitations.  It  begins 
to  bear  fruit  between  its  fourth  and  tenth  years,  ac- 
cording to  soil,  and  a well-placed,  generous  tree 
bears  from  one  hundred  and  forty  to  one  hundred 
and  fifty  nuts  a year.  They  are  of  wonderfully 
slow  growth.  It  is  three  months  from  the  time  the 
blossom  appears  before  the  fruit  sets,  then  it  takes 
six  months  to  grow,  and  three  months  more  to 
ripen,  and  after  that  will  hang  two  months  on  the 
tree  before  it  falls — fourteen  months  from  the  first 
appearance  of  the  flower  ! 

It  is  certainly  not  beautiful  as  grown  in  Province 
Wellesley,  and  I am  becoming  faithless  to  my  alle- 
giance to  it  in  this  region  of  areca  and  other  more 
graceful  palms. 

In  returning  we  saw  many  Malay  kampongs  under 
the  palms,  each  with  a fire  lighted  underneath  it,  and 
there  were  many  other  fires  for  the  water-buffaloes, 
with  groups  of  these  uncouth  brutes  gathered  in- 
variably on  the  leeward  side,  glad  to  be  smoked 


CHARACTERISTICS  OF  THE  WATER-BUFFALO.  349 

rather  than  bitten  by  the  mosquitoes.  These  huge, 
thin-skinned  animals  have  a strange  antipathy  to 
white  people.  They  are  petted  and  caressed  by 
the  Malays,  and  even  small  boys  can  do  anything 
with  them,  and  can  ride  upon  their  backs,  but  con- 
stantly when  they  see  white  people  they  raise  their 
muzzles,  and  if  there  be  room  charge  them  madly. 
A buffalo  is  enormously  strong,  but  he  objects  to 
the  sun,  and  likes  to  bathe  in  rivers,  and  plaster 
himself  with  mud,  and  his  tastes  are  much  hu- 
mored by  his  owners.  A buffalo  has  often  been 
known  to  vanquish  a tiger  when  both  have  had  fair 
play.  Most  of  the  drive  back  was  accomplished  by 
nearly  incessant  flashes  of  sheet  lightning. 

We  had  a most  pleasant  evening.  Mrs.  Ise- 
monger,  who  is  a sister  of  Mr.  Maxwell,  my  present 
host,  is  gentle,  thoughtful,  well-informed,  and  stu 
dious,  and  instead  of  creating  and  living  in  an  arti- 
ficial English  atmosphere  which  is  apt  to  make  a 
residence  in  a foreign  country  a very  unproductive 
period,  she  has  interested  herself  in  the  Malays,  and 
has  not  only  acquired  an  excellent  knowledge  of 
Malayan,  but  is  translating  a Malayan  book. 

I felt  much  humiliated  by  my  ignorance  of 
Province  Wellesley,  of  which  in  truth  I had  never 
heard  until  I reached  Malacca.  It  is  a mere  strip, 
however,  only  thirty-five  miles  long  by  about  ten 
broad,  but  it  is  highly  cultivated,  fertile,  rich,  pros- 
perous, and  populous.  From  Pinang  one  sees  its 
broad  stretches  of  bright  green  sugar-cane  and  the 


350 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


chimneys  of  its  sugar  factories,  and  it  grows  rice 
and  cocoa-nuts,  and  is  actually  more  populous  than 
Pinang  or  Malacca,  and  contains  as  many  Malays 
as  Sungei  Ujong,  Selangor  and  Pinang  together — 
fifty-eight  thousand  ! Mr.  Maxwell  had  promised 
to  bring  the  Kinta , a steam-launch,  across  from 
Georgetown  by  8 p.m.,  and  it  shows  how  very  pleas- 
ant the  evening  was,  that  though  I was  very  tired, 
eight,  nine,  ten,  and  eleven  came,  and  the  conver- 
sation never  flavored. 

oo 

Soon  after  eleven  the  Kinta  appeared,  a black 
shadow  on  a silver  sea,  roaring  for  a boat,  but  the 
surf  was  so  heavy  that  it  was  some  time  before  the 
police  boat  was  got  off ; and  then  Mr.  Maxwell, 
whose  cheery,  energetic  voice  precedes  him,  and 
Mr.  Walker  landed,  bullying  everybody,  as  people 
often  do  when  they  know  that  they  are  the  delin- 
quents ! It  was  lovely  in  the  white  moonlight  with 
the  curving  shadows  of  palms  on  the  dewy  grass,  the 
grace  of  the  drooping  casuarinas,  the  shining  water, 
and  the  long  drift  of  surf.  It  was  hard  to  get  off, 
and  the  surf  broke  into  the  boat ; but  when  we  were 
once  through  it,  the  sea  was  like  oil,  the  oars  dripped 
flame,  and,  seen  from  the  water,  the  long  line  of 
surf  broke  on  the  shore  not  in  snow,  but  in  a long 
drift  of  greenish  fire. 

The  Kinta  is  a steam-launch  of  the  Perak  Govern- 
ment. Her  boilers,  to  use  an  expressive  Japanese 
phrase,  are  “very  sick,”  and  she  is  not  nearly  so 
fine  as  the  Abdulsamat , but  a quiet,  peaceful  boat, 


ENTERING  THE  LA  RUT  RIVER.  351 

without  any  pretensions  ; and  really  any  “old  tub” 
is  safe  on  the  Straits  of  Malacca  except  in  a “ Suma- 
tran.” I stayed  on  deck  for  some  time  enjoying 
the  exquisite  loveliness  of  the  night,  and  the  vivacity 
of  two  of  my  companions,  Mr.  Maxwell,  the  Assist- 
ant Resident  here,  a really  able  and  most  energetic 
man,  very  argumentative,  bright,  and  pleasant ; and 
Captain  Walker,  A.  D.  C.  to  Sir  W.  Robinson,  on 
his  way  from  the  ceaseless  gayeties  of  Government 
House  at  Singapore  to  take  command  of  the  Sikh 
military  police  in  the  solitary  jungles  of  Perak.  The 
third,  Mr.  Innes,  Superintendent  of  Lower  Perak, 
whose  wife  so  nearly  lost  her  life  in  the  horrible 
affair  at  Pulo  Pangkor,  was  in  dejected  spirits,  as  if 
the  swamps  of  Durion  Sabatang  had  been  too  much 
for  him. 

The  little  cabin  below  was  frightfully  hot,  and  I 
shared  it  not  only  with  two  nice  Malay  boys,  sons 
of  the  exiled  Abdullah,  the  late  Sultan,  who  are 
being  educated  at  Malacca,  but  with  a number  of 
large  and  rampant  rats.  Finding  the  heat  and  rats 
unbearable,  I went  on  deck  in  the  rosy  dawn,  just 
as  we  were  entering  the  Larut  river,  a muddy  stream, 
flowing  swiftly  between  dense  jungles  and  mangrove 
swamps,  and  shores  of  shining  slime,  on  which  at 
low  water  the  alligators  bask  in  the  sun — one  of  the 
many  rivers  of  the  Peninsula  which  do  not  widen 
at  their  mouths. 

The  tide  was  high  and  the  river  brimming  full, 
looking  as  if  it  must  drown  all  the  forest,  and  the 


352 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


trestle-work  roots  on  which  the  mangroves  are 
hoisted  were  all  submerged.  It  is  a silent,  lonely 
land,  all  densely  green.  Many  an  uprooted  palm 
with  its  golden  plumes  and  wealth  of  golden  husked 
nuts  came  floating  down  on  the  swirling  waters,  and 
many  a narrow  creek  well  suited  for  murder,  over- 
arched with  trees,  and  up  which  one  might  travel 
far  and  still  be  among  mangrove  swamps  and  alli- 
gators, came  down  into  the  Larut  river  ; and  once 
we  passed  a small  clearing,  where  some  industrious 
Chinamen  are  living  in  huts  on  some  festering  slime 
between  the  river  and  the  jungle  ; and  once  a police 
station  on  stilts,  where  six  policemen  stood  in  a row 
and  saluted  as  we  passed,  and  at  seven  we  reached 
Teluk  Kartang,  with  a pier,  a long  shed,  two  or 
three  huts,  and  some  officialism,  white  and  partly 
white,  all  in  a “dismal  swamp.”  A small  but  very 
useful  Chinese  trading  steamer,  the  Sri  Sarawak, 
was  lying  against  the  pier,  and  we  landed  over  her 
filthy  deck,  on  which  filthy  Chinese  swine,  among 
half  naked  men  almost  as  filthy,  were  wrangling  for 
decomposing  offal.  Dismal  as  this  place  looks,  an 
immense  trade  in  imports  and  exports  is  done  there  ; 
and  all  the  tin  from  the  rich  mines  of  the  district  is 
sent  thence  to  Pinang  for  transhipment. 

While  my  friends  transacted  business,  I waited 
for  an  age  in  an  empty  office  where  was  one  chair, 
a table  dark  with  years  of  ink  splotches,  a mouldy 
inkstand,  a piece  of  an  old  almanac,  and  an  empty 
gin  bottle.  Outside,  cockle-shells  were  piled  against 


A LA  RUT  GHARRIE. 


353 


the  wall  ; then  there  were  ditches  or  streamlets 
cutting  through  profuse  and  almost  loathsome 
vegetation,  and  shining  slime  fat  and  iridescent, 
swarming  with  loathsome  forms  of  insect  and  rep- 
tile life  all  rioting  under  the  fierce  sun,  and  among 
them,  almost  odious  by  proximity  to  such  vileness, 
were  small  crabs  with  shells  of  a heavenly  blue. 
The  strong  vegetable  stench  was  nearly  overpower- 
ing, but  I wrote  to  you  and  worked  at  your  em- 
broidery a little,  and  so  got  through  this  detention 
pleasantly,  as  through  many  a longer,  though  never 
a hotter  one. 

After  a time  three  gharries  arrived,  and  Mr.  Innes 
and  I went  in  one,  the  two  other  gentlemen  in  an- 
other, and  Sultan  Abdullah’s  boys  in  the  third. 
No  amount  of  world-wide  practice  in  the  getting  in 
and  out  of  strange  vehicles  is  any  help  to  the  tor- 
tuous process  necessary  for  mounting  and  dis- 
mounting from  a Larut  gharrie.  A gharrie  is  a 
two-wheeled  cart  with  a seat  across  it  for  two  peo- 
ple, and  a board  in  front  on  which  the  driver  sits 
when  he  is  not  running  by  his  horse.  This  board 
and  the  low  roof  which  covers  the  whole  produce 
the  complication  iri  getting  in  and  out.  The  bot- 
tom of  the  cart  is  filled  up  with  grass  and  leaves, 
and  you  put  your  feet  on  the  board  in  front,  and 
the  little  rats  of  fiery  Sumatra  ponies,  which  will 
run  till  they  drop,  jolt  you  along  at  great  speed. 
Klings,  untroubled  by  much  clothing,  own  and  drive 
these  vehicles,  which  are  increasing  rapidly.  The 
23 


354 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


traffic  on  the  road  of  heavy  buffalo  carts,  loaded 
with  tin,  cuts  it  up  so  badly  that  without  care  one 
might  often  be  thrown  upon  the  pony’s  back  at  the 
river  end  of  it. 

Near  the  port  we  met  three  elephants,  the  centre 
one  of  great  size,  rolling  along,  one  of  them  with  a 
mahout  seated  behind  his  great  flapping  ears. 
These  are  part  of  the  regalia  of  the  deposed  Sultan, 
and  were  sent  down  from  the  interior  for  me  and 
my  baggage.  The  smallest  of  them  would  have 
carried  me  and  my  “Gladstone  bag”  and  canvas 
roll.  The  first  sight  of  “elephants  at  home”  is  im- 
pressive, but  they  are  fearfully  ugly : and  their 
rolling  gait  does  not  promise  well  for  the  ease  of 
my  future  journey. 

We  passed  through  a swampy,  but  busy-looking 
Chinese  village,  masculine  almost  solely,  where 
Chinamen  were  building  gharries  and  selling  all 
such  things  as  Chinese  coolies  buy,  just  the  same 
there  as  everywhere,  and  at  home  there  as  every- 
where ; yellow,  lean,  smooth-shaven,  keen,  industri- 
ous, self-reliant,  sober,  mercenary,  reliable,  mysteri- 
ous, opium-smoking,  gambling,  hugging  clan  ties, 
forming  no  others,  and  managing  their  own  matters 
even  to  the  post  and  money-order  offices,  through 
which  they  are  constantly  sending  money  to  the 
interior  of  China.  I hope  that  it  is  not  true  that 
they  look  at  us,  as  a singularly  able  and  highly  edu- 
cated Chinaman  lately  said  to  me  that  they  do,  as 
“ the  incarnation  of  brute  force  allied  to  brute 


PERMA  TANG. 


355 


vices!”  This  is  a Chinese  region,  so  the  degres- 
sion is  excusable. 

It  was  bright  and  hot,  the  glorious,  equable  equa- 
torial heat , and  when  we  got  out  of  the  mangrove 
swamps  through  which  the  road  is  causewayed, 
there  was  fine  tropical  foliage,  and  the  trees  were 
festooned  with  a large,  blue  Thunbergia  of  great 
beauty.  It  is  eight  miles  from  the  landing  at  Teluk 
Kartang  to  Taipeng,  where  the  British  Residency 
is.  The  road  crosses  uninteresting  level  country, 
but  every  jolt  brings  one  nearer  to  the  Hijan 
mountains,  which  rise  picturesquely  from  the  plain 
to  a height  of  over  three  thousand  feet.  In  the 
distance  there  is  an  extraordinary  “ butte  ” or  iso- 
lated hill,  Gunong  Pondok,  a landmark  for  the 
whole  region,  and  on  the  right  to  the  east  a grand 
mountain  range,  the  highest  peak  of  which  cannot 
fall  far  short  of  eight  thousand  feet ; and  the  blue- 
green  ranges  showing  the  foam  of  at  least  one 
waterfall  almost  helped  one  to  be  cool. 

We  reached  Permatang,  another  Chinese  village 
of  some  pretensions  and  population,  near  which  are 
two  very  large  two-storied  Malay  houses  in  some 
disrepair,  in  which  the  wife  of  the  banished  Mentri 
of  Larut  lives,  with  a number  of  slaves.  A quan- 
tity of  mirthful-looking  slaves  girls  were  standing 
behind  the  window  bars  looking  at  us  surreptitiously. 
We  alighted  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Wynne,  the  Gov- 
ernment Agent,  who  at  once  said  something  cour- 
teous and  hospitable  about  breakfast,  which  I was 


3 56 


THE  GOLD  EH  CLIERSONESE. 


longing  for  ; but  after  I had  had  a bath  I found  that 
we  were  to  pursue  our  journey,  I regretting  for  the 
second  time  already  Mr.  Maxwell’s  abstemiousness 
and  power  of  going  without  food  ! 

From  this  point  we  drove  along  an  excellent  road 
toward  the  mountains,  over  whose  cool  summits 
cloud  mists  now  and  then  drifted  ; and  near  noon 
entered  this  important  Chinese  town,  with  a street 
about  a mile  long,  with  large  bazaars  and  shops 
making  a fine  appearance,  being  much  decorated  in 
Chinese  style  ; halls  of  meeting  for  the  different 
tribes,  gambling  houses,  workshops,  the  Treasury 
(a  substantial  dark  wood  building),  large  detached 
barracks  for  the  Sikh  police,  a hospital,  a powder 
magazine,  a parade  ground,  a Government  store- 
house, a large,  new  jail,  neat  bungalows  for  the 
minor  English  officials,  and  on  the  top  of  a steep, 
isolated  terraced  hill,  the  British  Residency.  This 
hill  is  really  too  steep  for  a vehicle  to  ascend,  but 
the  plucky  pony  and  the  Kling  driver  together 
pulled  the  gharrie  up  the  zigzags  in  a series  of 
spasms,  and  I was  glad  to  get  out  of  the  sunshine 
into  a cool,  airy  house,  where  there  was  a hope  of 
breakfast,  or  rather  tiffin. 

The  Residency  is  large  and  lofty,  and  thoroughly 
draughty,  a high  commendation  so  near  the  equa- 
tor. It  consists  of  a room  about  thirty  feet  wide  by 
sixty  long,  and  about  twenty  feet  high  at  its  highest 
part,  open  at  both  ends,  the  front  end  a great  bow 
window  without  glass  opening  on  an  immense  ve- 


SULTAN  ABDULLAH’ S BOYS. 


357 


randa.  This  room  and  its  veranda  are  like  the  fore 
cabin  of  a great  Clyde  steamer.  It  has  a red  screen 
standing  partly  across  it,  the  back  part  being  used 
for  eating,  and  the  front  for  sitting  and  occupation. 
My  bedroom  and  sitting-room,  and  the  room  in 
which  Sultan  Abdullah’s  boys  sleep  are  on  one  side, 
and  Mr.  Maxwell’s  room  and  office  on  the  other. 
Underneath  are  bath-rooms,  and  guard-rooms  for 
the  Sikh  sentries.  There  are  no  ornaments  or  su- 
perfluities. There  are  two  simple  meals  daily,  with 
tea  and  bananas  at  7 a.m.,  and  afternoon  tea  at  5 
p.m.  Mr.  Maxwell  is  most  abstemious,  and  is  ener- 
getically at  work  from  an  early  hour  in  the  morn- 
ing. There  is  a perpetual  coming  and  going  of 
Malays,  and  an  air  of  business  without  fuss.  There 
is  a Chinese  “ housemaid,”  who  found  a snake,  four 
feet  long,  coiled  up  under  my  down  quilt  yesterday, 
and  a Malay  butler,  but  I have  not  seen  any  other 
domestic. 

Those  boys  of  Sultan  Abdullah’s  are  the  most 
amusing  children  I ever  saw.  They  are  nine  and 
twelve  years  old,  with  monkey-like,  irrepressible 
faces.  They  have  no  ballast.  They  talk  cease- 
lessly, and  are  very  playful  and  witty,  but  though  a 
large  sum  is  being  paid  for  their  education  at  Ma- 
lacca, they  speak  atrocious  “pidjun,”  and  never  use 
Malayan,  in  my  hearing  at  least.  They  are  never 
still  for  one  instant ; they  chatter,  read  snatches 
from  books,  ask  questions  about  everything,  but  are 
too  volatile  to  care  for  the  answers,  turn  somersaults, 


358 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


lean  over  my  shoulders  as  I write,  bring-  me  puzzles, 
and  shriek  and  turn  head  over  heels  when  I can’t 
find  them  out,  and  jump  on  Mr.  Maxwell’s  shoulders 
begging  for  dollars.  I like  them  very  much,  for, 
though  they  are  so  restless  and  mercurial,  they  are 
neither  rude  nor  troublesome.  They  have  kept  the 
house  alive  with  their  antics,  but  they  are  just  start- 
ing on  my  elephants  for  Kwala  Kangsa,  on  a visit 
to  the  Regent,  I wonder  what  will  become  of 
them  ? Their  father  is  an  exile  in  the  Seychelles, 
and  though  it  was  once  thought  that  one  of  them 
might  succeed  the  reigning  Rajah,  another  Rajah  is 
so  popular  with  the  Malays,  and  so  intelligent,  that 
it  is  now  unlikely  that  his  claims  will  be  set  aside. 

The  steep  little  hill  on  which  the  Residency  stands 
is  planted  with  miserable  coffee,  with  scanty  yellow 
foliage.  The  house  on  my  side  has  a magnificent 
view  of  the  beautiful  Hijan  hills,  down  which  a 
waterfall  tumbles  in  a broad  sheet  of  foam  only  half 
a mile  off,  and  which  breed  a rampageous  fresh 
breeze  for  a great  part  of  the  day.  The  front  ve- 
randa looks  down  on  Taipeng  and  other  Chinese  vil- 
lages, on  neat  and  prolific  Chinese  vegetable  gar- 
dens, on  pits,  formerly  tin  mines,  now  full  of  muddy, 
stagnant  water,  on  narrow,  muddy  rivulets  bearing 
the  wash  of  the  tin  mines  to  the  Larut  river,  on  all 
the  weediness  and  forlornness  of  a superficially  ex- 
hausted mining  region,  and  beyond  upon  an  expanse 
of  jungle,  the  limit  of  which  is  beyond  the  limit  of 
vision,  miles  of  tree  tops  as  level  as  the  ocean,  over 


THE  “ARMED  POLICE; 


359 


which  the  cloud  shadows  sail  in  purple  all  day  long. 
In  the  early  morning  the  parade  ground  is  gay  with 
“ thin  red  ” lines  of  soldiers,  and  all  day  long  with  a 
glass  I can  see  the  occupations  and  bustle  of  Tai- 
peng. 

Taipeng  is  a thriving,  increasing  place,  of  over 
six  thousand  inhabitants,  solely  Chinese,  with  the 
exception  of  a small  Kling  population,  which  keeps 
small  shops,  lends  money,  drives  gharries  and  bul- 
lock-carts, and  washes  clothes.  This  place  was  the 
focus  of  the  disturbances  in  1873,  and  the  Chinese 
seem  still  to  need  to  be  held  in  check,  for  they  are 
not  allowed  to  go  out  at  night  without  passes  and 
lanterns.  They  are  miners,  except  those  who  keep 
the  innumerable  shops  which  supply  the  miners, 
and  some  of  them  are  rich.  Taipeng  is  tolerably 
empty  during  the  day,  but  at  dusk,  when  the  miners 
return,  the  streets  and  gambling  dens  are  crowded, 
and  the  usual  Babel  of  Chinese  tongues  begins. 
There  are  scarcely  any  Malays  in  the  town. 

Mr.  Maxwell  walks  and  rides  about  everywhere 
unattended  and  without  precautions,  but  Sikh  sen- 
tries guard  this  house  by  night  and  day.  They 
wear  large  blue  turbans,  scarlet  coats  and  white 
trousers.  There  are  four  hundred  and  fifty  of 
them,  recruited  in  India  from  among  the  Sikhs  and 
Pathans,  and  many  of  them  have  seen  service  under 
our  flag.  They  are,  to  all  intents  and  purposes, 
soldiers,  drilled  and  disciplined  as  such,  though 
called  “ Armed  Police,”  and  are  commanded  by 


360 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


Major  Swinburne  of  the  8oth  Regiment.  There  is 
a half  battery  of  mountain  train  rifled  guns,  and 
many  of  these  men  are  drilled  as  gunners.  Their 
joy  would  be  in  shooting  and  looting,  but  they  have 
not  any  scent  for  crime.  They  are  splendid-look- 
ing men,  with  long  moustaches  and  whiskers,  but 
they  plait  the  long  ends  of  the  latter  and  tuck  them 
up  under  their  turbans.  They  have  good-natured 
faces  generally,  and  are  sober,  docile  and  peaceable, 
but  Major  Swinburne  says  that  they  indulge  in 
violent  wordy  warfare  on  “ theological  subjects.” 
They  are  devoted  to  the  accumulation  of  money,  and 
very  many  of  them  being  betrothed  to  little  girls  in 
India,  save  nearly  all  their  pay  in  order  to  buy  land 
and  settle  there.  When  off  duty  they  wear  turbans 
and  robes  nearly  as  white  as  snow,  and  look  both 
classical  and  colossal.  They  get  on  admirably  with 
the  Malays,  but  look  down  on  the  Chinese,  who  are 
much  afraid  of  them.  Oae  sees  a single  Sikh  driv- 
ing four  or  five  Chinamen  in  front  of  him,  having 
knotted  their  pigtails  together  for  reins.  I have 
been  awoke  each  night  by  the  clank  which  attends 
the  change  of  guard,  and  as  the  moonlight  flashes 
on  the  bayonets,  I realize  that  I am  in  Perak. 

The  air  is  so  bracing  here  and  the  nights  so  cool, 
that  I have  been  out  by  seven  each  morning,  and 
have  been  into  Taipeng  in  the  evening.  This  morn- 
ing I went  to  see  the  hospital,  mainly  used  by  the 
Sikhs,  who,  though  very  docile  patients,  are  most 
troublesome  in  other  ways,  owing  to  religious  prej- 


TRUMPETER  BEETLES. 


361 


udices,  which  render  it  nearly  impossible  to  cook 
for  them.  There  was  one  wretched  Chinaman 
there,  horribly  mangled.  He  was  stealing  a boat 
on  one  of  the  many  creeks,  when  an  alligator  got 
hold  of  him,  and  tore  both  legs,  one  arm,  and  his 
back  in  such  a way  that  it  is  wonderful  that  he 
lives.  The  apothecary  is  a young  Madrassee.  One 
or  two  cases  of  that  terrible  disease  known  in  Japan 
as  Kakke,  and  elsewhere  as  Bcri-Bcri,  have  just 
appeared.*  We  walked  also  to  a clear  mountain 
torrent  which  comes  thundering  down  among  great 
boulders  and  dense  tropical  vegetation  at  the  foot 
of  the  mountains,  as  clear  and  cold  as  if  it  were 
a Highland  stream  dashing  through  the  purple 
heather. 

There  are  “ trumpeter  beetles  ” here,  with  bright 
green  bodies  and  membranous-looking  transparent 
wings,  four  inches  across,  which  make  noise  enough 
for  a creature  the  size  of  a horse.  Two  were  in  the 
house  to-night,  and  you  could  scarcely  hear  any  one 


* Since  my  visit  there  have  been  three  fatal  outbreaks  of  this  epidemic, 
three  thousand  deaths  having  occurred  among  the  neighboring  miners  and 
coolies.  So  firmly  did  the  disease  appear  to  have  established  itself,  that  a 
large  permanent  hospital  was  erected  by  the  joint  efforts  of  the  chief  mining 
adventurers  and  the  Government,  but  it  has  now  been  taken  over  altogether 
by  the  Government,  and  is  supported  by  an  annual  tax  of  a dollar,  levied 
upon  every  adult  Chinaman . Extensive  hospital  accommodation  and  suffi- 
cient medical  attendance  have  also  been  provided  in  other  stricken  localities. 
In  the  jail,  where  the  disease  was  very  fatal,  it  has  nearly  died  out,  in  con- 
sequence, it  is  believed,  of  supplying  the  prisoners  with  a larger  quantity  of 
nitrogenous  food.  It  has  been  proposed  to  compel  the  employers  of  mining 
coolies  to  do  the  same  thing,  for  the  ravages  of  the  disease  are  actually  affect- 
ing the  prosperity  of  Larut. 


362  THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

speak.  But  there  is  a blessed  respite  from  mosqui- 
toes. 

Major  Swinburne  and  Captain  Walker  have  dined 
here,  and  we  had  a simple  dinner  of  roast  mutton, 
the  first  that  I have  tasted  for  ten  months.  It  is  a 
great  treat.  One  becomes  tired  of  made  dishes, 
consisting  chiefly  of  impoverished  fowls,  disguised 
in  about  twenty  different  ways. 

When  I left  Malacca,  Captain  Shaw  said  : “When 
you  see  Paul  Swinburne  you’ll  see  a man  you’ll  not 
see  twice  in  a lifetime,”  so  yesterday,  when  a tall, 
slender,  aristocratic-looking  man,  who  scarcely  looks 
severable  from  the  door-steps  of  a Pall  Mall  club, 
strode  down  the  room  and  addressed  me  abruptly 
with  the  words  : “ The  sooner  you  go  away  again 
the  better  ; there’s  nothing  to  see,  nothing  to  do, 
and  nothing  to  learn,”  I was  naturally  much  inter- 
ested. He  has  a dash  of  acquired  eccentricity  of 
tone  and  manner,  is  very  proud,  but,  unlike  some 
proud  people,  appreciates  the  co-humanity  of  his 
inferiors,  is  a brilliant  talker,  dashing  over  art,  liter- 
ature, politics,  society,  tells  stories  brilliantly,  never 
flags,  is  totally  regardless  of  “ the  equities  of  con- 
versation,” and  is  much  beloved  by  the  Sikhs,  to 
whom  he  is  just. 

At  Pinang  I heard  an  anecdote  of  him  which  is 
quite  credible.  The  regent  (it  is  said)  wanted  him 
to  use  the  Sikhs  to  catch  a female  runaway  slave, 
and  on  his  refusing,  the  Rajah  made  use  of  a very 
opprobrious  epithet,  on  which  he  drew  himself  up, 


MR.  MAXWELL. 


363 


saying  : “ You  are  a man  of  high  birth  in  your 
country,  but  I’m  a man  of  high  birth  in  mine,  and, 
so  long  as  I bear  Queen  Victoria’s  commission,  I 
refuse  to  accept  insult.  I take  no  future  orders 
from  your  highness.”  Nor,  it  is  said,  has  he. 

My  human  surroundings  have  an  unusual  amount 
of  piquancy.  Mr.  Maxwell  is  very  pleasant,  strong, 
both  physically  and  mentally,  clever  and  upright, 
educated  at  Oxford  and  Lincoln’s  Inn,  but  brought 
up  in  the  Straits  Settlements,  of  which  his  father 
was  chief-justice.  He  is  able,  combative,  dogmatic, 
well-read  and  well-informed,  expresses  himself  in- 
cisively, is  self-reliant,  strong-willed,  thoroughly 
just,  thoroughly  a gentleman,  and  has  immense 
energy  and  business  capacity,  and  a large  amount 
of  governing  power.  He,  too,  likes  talking,  and 
talks  well,  but  with  much  perfectly  good-natured 
vehemence.  He  is  a man  on  whose  word  one  may 
implicitly  rely.  Brought  up  among  Malays,  and 
speaking  their  language  idiomatically,  he  not  only 
likes  them,  but  takes  the  trouble  to  understand 
them  and  enter  into  their  ideas  and  feelings.  He 
studies  their  literature,  superstitions,  and  customs 
carefully,  and  has  made  some  valuable  notes  upon 
them.  I should  think  that  few  people  understand 
the  Malays  better  than  he  does.  He  dislikes  the 
Chinese.  I have  the  very  pleasant  feeling  regard- 
ing him  that  he  is  the  right  man  in  the  right  place, 
and  that  his  work  is  useful,  conscientious,  and  ad- 
mirable. As  Assistant  Resident  he  is  virtually 


364 


THE  GOLDEH  CHERSONESE. 


dictator  of  Larut,  only  subject  to  Mr.  Low’s  inter- 
ference. He  is  a judge,  and  can  inflict  the  penalty 
of  death,  the  Regent’s  signature,  however,  being  re- 
quired for  the  death-warrant.  He  rules  the 
Chinese  rigidly. 

Captain  Walker  is  a new  comer,  and  does  not 
know  more  about  Perak  than  I do. 

At  this  dinner  of  four  there  was  as  much  noise 
as  twenty  stupid  people  would  make  ! Something 
brought  up  the  dead  lock  in  Victoria,  which  excited 
violent  feeling  for  some  reason  not  obvious.  Cap- 
tain Walker  threw  off  his  somewhat  suave  A.D.C. 
manner,  and  looked  dangerous,  Mr.  Maxwell  fought 
for  victory,  and  Major  Swinburne  to  beat  Mr. 
Maxwell,  and  the  row  was  deafening.  I doubt 
whether  such  an  argument  could  have  been  got  up 
in  moist,  hot  Singapore,  or  steamy  Malacca ! An 
energetic  difference  seems  of  daily  occurrence,  and 
possibly  is  an  essential  ingredient  of  friendship. 
That  it  should  be  possible  shows  what  an  invigorat- 
ing climate  this  must  be.  Major  Swinburne,  in  an 
aggravating  tone,  begins  upon  some  peculiarity  or 
foible,  real  or  supposed,  of  his  friend,  with  a deluge 
or  sarcasm,  mimicry,  ridicule,  and  invective,  tor- 
ments him  mercilessly,  and  without  giving  him  time 
to  reply,  disappears,  saying,  Parthian-like,  “Now, 
my  dear  fellow,  its  no  use  resenting  it,  you  haven’t 
such  a friend  as  me  in  the  world — you  know  if  it 
were  not  for  me  you’d  be  absolutely  intolerable  ! ” 
All  this  is  very  amusing.  How  many  differing 


A MORNING  HYMN.  365 

characters  are  required  to  make  up  even  the  world 
that  I know  ! 

It  is  strange  to  be  in  a house  in  which  there  are 
no  pets,  for  a small  Malay  bear  which  lives  at  the 
back  can  scarcely  be  called  one.  Sometimes  in  the 
evening  a wild  animal  called  a lemur  rushes  wildly 
through  the  house  and  out  at  the  front  veranda.  I 
am  always  afraid  of  being  startled  by  his  tearing 
through  my  room  in  the  depths  of  the  night,  for 
here,  as  in  many  other  houses,  instead  of  doors 
there  are  screens  raised  a foot  from  the  ground. 

This  morning  I got  up  before  daylight,  and  went 
up  a hill  which  is  being  cleared,  to  enjoy  the  sun- 
rise, the  loveliest  time  of  the  tropic  day.  It  was 
all  dew  and  rose  color,  with  a delicious  freshness  in 
the  air,  prolonged  unusually,  because  the  sun  was 
so  slow  to  climb  above  the  eastern  mountain  tops. 
Then  there  was  a sudden  glory,  and  birds,  beasts, 
and  insects  broke  into  a vociferous  chorus,  the 
tuneless  hymn  which  ascends  daily  without  a dis- 
cord. There  are  sumptuously  colored  sunsets  to  be 
seen  from  this  elevation,  but  one  has  no  time  to 
enjoy  them,  and  they  make  one  long  for  the  linger- 
ing  gold  and  purple  of  more  northern  latitudes.  I 
have  really  been  industrious  since  I came  here,  both 
in  writing  to  you,  and  in  “reading  up”  the  native 
states  in  blue  books,  etc.  I.  L.  B. 


LETTER  XIX. 


British  Residency,  Larut. 

I am  remaining  here  for  another  day  or  two,  so 
have  time  to  tell  you  a little  about  the  surroundings. 

Larut  province  is  a strip  of  land  about  seventy 
miles  long,  and  from  twenty-five  to  forty-five  broad. 
It  was  little  known,  and  almost  unexplored  till  1848, 
when  a Malay,  while  bathing,  found  some  coarse, 
black  sand,  which,  on  being  assayed,  proved  to  be 
tin.  He  obtained  twenty  Chinese  coolies,  opened 
a mine  which  turned  out  lucrative,  and  the  Chinese 
at  home  hearing  that  money  was  to  be  made, 
flocked  into  Larut,  but  after  some  years  took  to 
quarreling  about  the  ownership  of  mines,  and  event- 
ually to  a war  between  the  two  leading  clans, 
which  threatened  to  be  a war  of  extermination,  and 
resulted  in  British  interference,  and  the  appoint- 
ment of  a Resident ; and  then  Chinese  merchants 
in  Pinang  made  advances  of  money  and  provisions 
to  such  of  their  countrymen  as  were  willing  to  work 
the  abandoned  mines.  Very  soon  the  population 
increased  to  such  an  extent  that  it  became  neces- 
sary to  choose  sites  for  mining  towns,  granting  one 
to  each  faction  ; the  Go  Kwan  town  being  called 
Taipeng,  and  the  Si  Kwan  town  Kamunting. 

366 


MONKEY  CUPS. 


367 


American  mining  enterprise  could  hardly  go 
ahead  faster.  At  the  end  of  1873  the  population 
of  Larut  was  four  thousand,  the  men  of  the  fight- 
ing factions  only.  Eleven  months  later  these  two 
mining  towns  contained  nine  thousand  inhabitants, 
a tenth  of  whom  were  shopkeepers,  and  the  district 
thirty-three  thousand.  Larut  is  level  from  the  sea- 
shore to  the  mountain  range,  twenty  miles  inland, 
and  is  very  uninteresting. 

We  have  been  in  a gharrie  to  Kamunting,  a Chi- 
nese mining  town  of  four  thousand  people,  three 
miles  from  here,  approached  through 'a  pretty  valley 
full  of  pitcher  plants  with  purple  cups  and  lids.  You 
can  imagine  the  joy  of  getting  into  my  hands  these 
wonderful  nepenthes  or  “ monkey  cups  ” for  the  first 
time.  I gathered  five  in  the  hope  of  finding  one 
free  from  insects,  but  the  cups  of  all  were  full  of 
dried  flies  and  ants,  looking  much  as  flies  do  when 
they  have  been  clutched  fora  few  days  by  the  hairs 
of  the  “sun-dew.”  The  lid  has  a quantity  of  nectar 
on  its  under  side  which  attracts  insects  ; but  below 
the  rolled  rim  of  the  cup,  which  is  slightly  corru- 
gated, the  interior  is  as  smooth  as  glass,  and  the 
betrayed  flies  must  fall  at  once  into  the  water  at  the 
bottom  and  be  drowned.  As  these  ingenious  ar- 
rangements are  made  for  their  destruction,  doubt- 
less the  plant  feeds  upon  their  juices.* 

We  went  first  to  a very  large  tin  mine  belonging 

* I have  since  learned  that  this  is  an  ascertained  fact,  and  that  nepenthes 
are  among  the  insectiverous  plants. 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


368 

to  a rich  and  very  pleasant-looking  Chinaman,  who 
received  us  and  took  us  over  it.  The  mine  is  like 
a large  quarry,  with  a number  of  small  excavations 
which  fill  with  water,  and  are  pumped  by  most  in- 
genious Chinese  pumps  worked  by  an  endless  chain, 
but  there  are  two  powerful  steam  pumps  at  work 
also.  About  four  hundred  lean,  leathery-looking 
men  were  working,  swarming  up  out  of  the  holes 
like  ants  in  double  columns,  each  man  carrying  a 
small  bamboo  tray  holding  about  three  pounds  of 
stanniferous  earth,  which  is  deposited  in  a sluice, 
and  a great  rush  of  water  washes  away  the  sand, 
leaving  the  tin  behind,  looking  much  like  “giant” 
blasting  powder.  The  Chinese  are  as  much  wedded 
to  these  bamboo  baskets  as  to  their  pigtails,  but 
they  involve  a great  waste  of  labor.  A common  hoe 
is  the  other  implement  used.  The  coolies  are  paid 
by  piece-work,  and  are  earning  just  now  about  one 
shilling  and  sixpence  per  day.  Road-making  and 
other  labor  is  performed  'by  Klings,  who  get  one 
shilling  a day. 

The  tin  is  smelted  during  the  night  in  a very  rude 
furnace,  with  most  ingenious  Chinese  bellows,  is 
then  run  into  moulds  made  of  sand,  and  turned  out 
as  slabs  weighing  66  lbs.  each.  The  export  duty  on 
tin  is  the  chief  source  of  revenue.  Close  to  the 
smelting  furnaces  there  are  airy  sheds  with  plat- 
forms along  each  side,  divided  into  as  many  beds 
as  there  are  Chinamen.  A bed  consists  only  of  a 
mat  and  a mosquito-net.  There  are  all  the  usual 


KAMUNTING. 


369 


joss  arrangements,  and  time  is  measured  by  the 
burning  of  joss-sticks.  Several  rain-cloaks,  made 
of  palm  leaves,  were  hanging  up.  These,  and  nearly 
all  the  other  articles  consumed  by  this  large  popu- 
lation are  imported  from  China. 

Our  Chinese  host  then  took  us  to  some  rooms 
which  he  had  built  for  a cool  retreat,  to  which,  in 
anticipation  of  our  visit,  he  had  conveyed  champagne, 
sherry,  and  bitter  beer  ! His  look  of  incredulity 
when  we  said  that  we  preferred  tea,  was  most  amus- 
ing; but  on  our  persisting,  he  produced  delicious 
tea  with  Chinese  sweetmeats,  and  Huntley  and 
Palmer’s  cocoa-nut  biscuits.  He  then  insisted  on 
taking  our  hired  gharrie  and  scrubby  pony  and  send- 
ing us  on  in  his  buggy  with  a fine  Australian  horse, 
but  Mr.  Maxwell  says  that  this  was  as  much  from 
policy  as  courtesy,  as  it  gives  him  importance  to  be 
on  obviously  friendly  terms  with  the  Resident. 

We  went  on  to  Kamunting,  a forlorn  town,  mainly 
built  of  attap , with  roads  and  ditches  needing  much 
improvement,  and  I bargained  for  some  Chinese 
purses  and  visited  a gambling  saloon,  the  place  in 
which  one  sees  the  peculiar  expression  of  the 
Chinese  face  at  its  fullest  development.  There  is 
nothing  very  shocking  about  it,  nothing  more  than 
an  intensified  love  of  gain  without  a mask.  Each 
coolie  takes  his  pipe  of  opium  after  his  day’s  work, 
and  each  has  a pot  of  tea  kept  always  hot  in  a thickly 
wadded  basket,  a luxury  which  no  Chinaman  seems 
able  to  do  without. 


24 


370 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


We  called  at  a Sikh  guard-house,  and  the  magnifi- 
cent sergeant  took  me  to  see  his  wife,  the  woman  of 
the  regiment,  who  is  so  rigidly  secluded  that  not 
even  the  commanding  officer  nor  Mr.  Maxwell  have 
seen  her.  She  is  very  beautiful,  and  has  an  exqui- 
site figure,  but  was  overloaded  with  jewelry.  She 
wore  a large  nose-jewel,  seven  rings  of  large  size 
weighing  down  her  finely  formed  ears,  four  neck- 
laces, and  silver  bangles  on  each  arm  from  the  wrist 
to  the  elbow,  besides  some  on  her  beautiful  ankles. 
She  had  an  infant  boy,  the  child  of  the  regiment, 
in  her  arms,  clothed  only  in  a silver  hoop,  and  the 
father  took  him  and  presented  him  to  me  with  much 
pride.  It  was  a pleasant  family  group. 

The  few  days  here  have  been  a real  rest,  I have 
been  so  much  alone.  There  are  no  women  to  twit- 
ter ; and  when  Mr.  Maxwell  is  not  at  work  he  talks 
of  things  that  are  worth  talking  about.  The  climate, 
too,  is  bracing  and  wholesome,  and  the  boisterous 
afternoon  wind,  which  sweeps  letters  and  papers 
irreverently  away,  keeps  off  the  mosquitoes. 

I.  L.  B. 


LETTER  XX. 


British  Residency, 
Kwala  Kangsa,  February  16. 

This  is  rather  exciting,  for  I have  had  an  un- 
usual journey,  and  my  circumstances  are  unusual, 
for  Mr.  Low,  the  Resident,  has  not  returned,  and  I 
am  not  only  alone  in  his  bungalow  in  the  heart  of 
the  jungle,  but  so  far  as  I can  learn  I am  the  only 
European  in  the  region. 

“ Of  all  my  wild  adventures  past 
This  frantic  feat  will  prove  the  last,” 

for  in  a fortnight  I propose  to  be  at  Pinang  on  my 
way  to  conventional  Ceylon,  and  the  beloved 
“wilds”  will  be  left  behind. 

At  4.30  this  morning  Mr.  Maxwell’s  energetic 
voice  roused  me,  and  I got  up,  feeling  for  the  first 
time  in  Larut  very  tired  from  the  unwonted  dissi- 
pation of  another  “ dinner  party,”  and  from  having 
been  kept  awake  late  by  the  frantic  rushes  of  the 
lemur  and  the  noise  of  the  “ trumpeter  beetle,”  be- 
sides being  awoke  in  a fright  at  2 a.m.,  by  the  noise 
made  in  changing  guard,  from  a dream  that  the 
Sikhs  had  mutinied  and  were  about  to  massacre 
the  Europeans,  myself  included  ! W e had  bananas 

371 


372 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


and  chocolate,  and  just  at  daybreak  walked  down 
the  hill,  where  I got  into  a little  trap  drawn  by  a 
fiery  little  Sumatra  pony,  and  driven  by  Mr.  Gib- 
bons, a worthy  Australian  miner  who  is  here  road- 
making, and  was  taken  five  miles  to  a place  where 
the  road  becomes  a quagmire  not  to  be  crossed. 
Elephants  had  been  telegraphed  for  to  meet  me 
there,  but  the  telegraph  was  found  to  be  broken. 
Mr.  Maxwell,  who  accompanied  us  on  horseback, 
had  sent  a messenger  on  here  for  elephants,  and 
was  dismayed  on  getting  to  the  quagmire  to  meet 
the  news  that  they  had  gone  to  the  jungle ; so 
there  was  no  means  of  conveyance  but  the  small 
pachyderm  which  was  bringing  my  bag,  and  which 
was  more  than  two  hours  behind. 

There  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  walk,  and  we 
tramped  for  four  miles.  I could  not  have  done  the 
half  of  it  had  I not  had  my  “mountain  dress”  on, 
the  identical  mud-colored  tweed,  in  which  I waded 
through  the  mud  of  Northern  Japan.  The  sun  had 
risen  splendidly  among  crimson  clouds,  which,  hav- 
ing turned  gray,  were  a slight  screen,  and  the  air  is 
so  comparatively  dry  that,  though  within  5°  of  the 
equator,  it  was  not  oppressively  hot. 

The  drive  had  brought  us  out  of  the  Chinese 
country  into  a region  very  thinly  peopled  by  Malays 
only,  here  and  there  along  the  roadside,  living  in 
houses  of  all  Malay  stiles,  from  the  little  attap  cabin 
with  its  gridiron  floor  supported  on  stilts,  to  the 
large  picturesque  house  with  steep  brown  roofs, 


THE  EXCITEMENTS  OF  THE  JUNGLE. 


deep  eaves  and  porches,  and  walls  of  matting  or 
bamboo  basket  work  in  squares,  light  and  dark  al- 
ternately, reached  by  ladders  with  rungs  eighteen 
inches  apart,  so  difficult  for  shod  feet. 

The  trees  and  plants  of  the  jungle  were  very  ex- 
citing. Ah  ! what  a delight  it  is  to  see  trees  and 
plants  at  home  which  one  has  only  seen  as  the 
exotics  of  a hothouse,  or  read  of  in  books  ! In  the 
day’s  journey  I counted  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
six  differing  trees  and  shrubs,  fifty-three  trailers, 
seventeen  epiphytes,  and  twenty-eight  ferns.  I saw 
more  of  the  shrubs  and  epiphytes  than  I have  yet 
done,  from  the  altitude  of  an  elephant’s  back. 
There  was  one  Asplcnium  nidus  [bird’s  nest  fern] 
which  had  thirty-seven  perfect  fronds  radiating  from 
a centre,  each  frond  from  three  and  a quarter  to 
five  and  a half  feet  long,  and  varying  from  myrtle 
to  the  freshest  tint  of  pea-green  ! 

There  was  an  orchid  with  hardly  visible  leaves, 
which  bore  six  crowded  clusters  of  flowers  close  to 
the  branch  of  the  tree  on  which  it  grew,  each 
cluster  composed  of  a number  of  spikes  of  red  coral 
tipped  with  pale  green.  In  the  openings  there  were 
small  trees  with  gorgeous  erythrina-like  flowers, 
glowing  begonias,  red  lilies,  a trailer  with  trumpet- 
shaped blossoms  of  canary  yellow,  and  a smaller 
trailer,  which  climbs  over  everything  that  is  not 
high,  entwining  itself  with  the  blue  Thunbergia, 
and  bearing  on  single  stalks  single  blossoms,  prim- 
rose-shaped, of  a salmon  orange  color  with  a velvety 


374 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


black  centre.  In  some  places  one  came  upon  three 
varieties  of  nepenthes  or  “monkey  cups,”  some  of 
their  pitchers  holding  (I  should  think)  a pint  of 
fluid,  and  most  of  them  packed  with  the  skeletons 
of  betrayed  guests;  then  in  moist  places  upon  steel 
blue  aspleniums  and  luxuriant  selaginellas ; and 
then  came  caelogynes  with  white  blossoms,  white 
flowered  dendrobiums  ( crumentatum P'),  all  growing 
on  or  clinging  to  trees,  with  scarlet-veined  bau- 
hinias,  caladiums,  ginger  worts,  and  aroids,  inclining 
one  to  make  incessant  exclamations  of  wonder  and 
delight.  You  cannot  imagine  how  crowded  to- 
gether this  tropical  vegetation  is.  There  is  not 
room  for  half  of  it  on  the  ground,  so  it  seeks  and 
finds  its  home  high  up  on  the  strong,  majestic  trees 
which  bear  it  up  into  the  sunshine,  where,  indeed 
one  has  to  look  for  most  of  the  flowers. 

It  is  glorious  to  see  the  vegetation  of  eternal 
summer  and  the  lavish  prodigality  of  nature,  and 
one  revels  among  hothouse  plants  “ at  home,”  and 
all  the  splendor  of  gigantic  leaves,  and  the  beauty 
and  grace  of  palms,  bamboos,  and  tree-ferns ; the 
great,  gaudy  flowers  are  as  marvelous  as  the  gaudy 
plumaged  birds,  and  I feel  that  no  words  can  con- 
vey an  idea  of  the  beauty  and  magnificence  of  an 
equatorial  jungle  ; but  the  very  permanence  of  the 
beauty  is  almost  a fault.  I should  soon  come  to 
long  for  the  burst  of  spring  with  its  general  tender- 
ness of  green,  and  its  great  broad  splashes  of 
sociable  flowers,  its  masses  of  buttercups,  or  ox-eye 


THE  SENSITIVE  PLANT. 


375 


daisies,  or  dandelions,  and  for  the  glories  of  autumn 
with  its  red  and  gold,  and  leagues  of  purple  heather. 
These  splendid  orchids  and  other  epiphytes  grow 
singly.  One  sees  one  and  not  another,  there  are 
no  broad  masses  of  color  to  blaze  in  the  distance, 
the  scents  are  heavy  and  overpowering,  the  wealth 
is  embarrassing.  I revel  in  it  all  and  rejoice  in  it 
all;  it  is  intoxicating,  yet  I am  haunted  with  vis- 
ions of  mossy  banks  starred  with  primroses  and 
anemones,  of  stream  sides  blue  with  gentian,  of 
meadows  golden  with  buttercups,  and  fields  scarlet 
with  poppies,  and  in  spite  of  my  enjoyment  and 
tropical  enthusiasm,  I agree  with  Mr.  Wallace  and 
others  that  the  flowers  of  a temperate  climate  would 
give  one  more  lasting  pleasure. 

On  either  side  of  the  road  the  ground  is  densely 
carpeted  with  the  sensitive  plant,  whose  lovely  tri- 
partite leaves  are  green  above  and  brown  below. 
It  is  a fascinating  plant,  and  at  first  one  feels 
guilty  of  cruelty  if  one  does  more  than  look  at  it, 
but  I have  already  learned,  as  all  people  do  here,  to 
take  delight  in  wounding  its  sensibilities.  Touch 
any  part  of  a leaf  ever  so  lightly,  and  as  quick  as 
thought  it  folds  up.  Touch  the  centre  of  the  three 
ever  so  lightly,  and  leaf  and  stalk  fall  smitten. 
Touch  a branch  and  every  leaf  closes,  and  every 
stalk  falls  as  if  weighted  with  lead.  Walk  over  it, 
and  you  seem  to  have  blasted  the  earth  with  a fiery 
tread,  leaving  desolation  behind.  Every  trailing 
plant  falls,  the  leaves  closing  show  only  their  red- 


37^ 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


brown  backs,  and  all  the  beauty  has  vanished,  but 
the  burned  and  withered-looking-  earth  is  as  fair  as 
ever  the  next  morning-. 

After  walking  for  four  miles  we  came  upon  a 
glorious  sight  at  a turn  of  the  road,  a small  lake 
behind  which  the  mountains  rise  forest-covered, 
with  a slope  at  their  feet  on  which  stand  the  cocoa- 
nut  groves,  and  the  beautiful  Malay  house  of  the 
exiled  Mentri  of  Larut.  I have  written  of  a lake, 
but  no  water  was  visible,  for  it  was  concealed  by 
thousands  and  thousands  of  the  peltate  leaves  of 
the  lotus,  nearly  round,  attaining  a diameter  of 
eighteen  inches,  cool  and  dewy-looking  under  the 
torrid  sun.  with  a blue  bloom  upon  their  intense 
green.  Above  them  rose  thousands  of  lotus  flow- 
ers, buds,  and  seed-vessels,  each  one  a thing  of  per- 
fect beauty,  and  not  a withered  blossom  was  to  be 
seen.  The  immense  corollas  varied  in  color  from 
a deep  rose  crimson  to  a pink  as  pale  as  that  of  a 
blush  rose.  Some  were  just  opening,  others  were 
half  open,  and  others  wide  open,  showing  the 
crowded  golden  stamens  and  the  golden  disk  in 
the  centre.  From  far  off  the  deep  rose  pink  of  the 
glorious  blossoms  is  to  be  seen,  and  their  beauty 
carried  me  back  to  the  castle  moats  of  Yedo,  and  to 
many  a gilded  shrine  in  Japan,  on  which  the  lotus 
blooms  as  an  emblem  of  purity,  righteousness,  and 
immortality.  Even  here,  where  no  such  symbolism 
attaches  to  it,  it  looks  a sacred  thing.  It  was  delight- 
ful to  see  such  a sociable  flower  rejoicing  in  a crowd. 


MALA  Y HOUSES. 


*7  *7 

o/  / 

Beyond  is  the  picturesque  kampong  of  Matang, 
with  many  good  houses  and  a mosque.  Passing 
through  a gateway  with  brick  posts,  we  entered  a 
large  walled  inclosure  containing  a cocoa-grove, 
some  fine  trees,  and  the  beautiful  dwellings  of  the 
Malay  whom  we  have  deported  to  the  Seychelles. 
This  is  one  of  the  largest  Malay  houses  on  the 
peninsula.  It  is  built  of  wood  painted  green  and 
white,  with  bold  floral  designs  on  a white  ground 
round  some  of  the  circular  windows,  and  a very 
large  porch  for  followers  to  wait  in,  up  a ladder  of 
course.  In  a shed  there  were  three  gharries,  and 
behind  the  house  several  small  houses  for  slaves 
and  others.  A number  of  girls  and  children,  prob- 
ably mostly  slaves,  mirthfully  peeped  at  us  from 
under  the  tasteful  mat  blinds. 

Really  the  upper  class  of  Malay  houses  show 
some  very  good  work.  The  thatch  of  the  steep 
roof  is  beautifully  put  on,  and  between  the  sides  of 
finely  woven  checked  matting  interspersed  with 
lattice  work  and  bamboo  work,  the  shady  inner 
rooms  with  their  carved  doorways  and  portieres  of 
red  silk,  the  pillows  and  cushions  of  gold  embroid- 
ery laid  over  the  exquisitely  fine  matting  on  the 
floors,  the  light  from  the  half-shaded  windows 
glancing  here  and  there  as  the  breeze  sways  the 
screens,  there  is  an  indescribable  appropriateness 
to  the  region. 

I waited  for  the  elephant  in  a rambling  empty 
house,  and  Malays  brought  pierced  cocoa-nuts,  buf- 


37B  THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

falo  milk,  and  a great  bouquet  of  lotus  blossoms  and 
seed-vessels,  out  of  which  they  took  the  seeds,  and 
presented  them  on  the  grand  lotus  leaf  itself.  Each 
seed  is  in  appearance  and  taste  like  a hazel-nut,  but 
in  the  centre,  in  an  oval  slit,  the  future  lotus  plant 
is  folded  up,  the  one  vivid  green  seed  leaf  being 
folded  over  a shoot,  and  this  is  intensely  bitter. 

The  elephant  at  last  came  up  and  was  brought 
below  the  porch.  They  are  truly  hideous  beasts, 
with  their  gray,  wrinkled,  hairless  hides,  the  huge 
ragged  “ flappers  ” which  cover  their  ears,  and  with 
which  they  fan  themselves  ceaselessly,  the  small, 
mean  eyes,  the  hideous  proboscis  which  coils  itself 
snakishly  round  everything  ; the  formless  legs,  so 
like  trunks  of  trees ; the  piggish  back,  with  the 
steep  slope  down  to  the  mean,  bare  tail,  and  the 
general  unlikeness  to  all  familiar  and  friendly 
beasts.  I can  hardly  write,  for  a little  wah-wah , 
the  most  delightful  of  apes,  is  hanging  with  one 
long,  lean  arm  round  my  throat,  while  with  its  dis- 
engaged hand  it  keeps  taking  my  pen,  dipping  it  in 
the  ink,  and  scrawling  over  my  letter.  It  is  the 
most  winsome  of  creatures,  but  if  I were  to  oppose 
it  there  is  no  knowing  what  it  might  do,  so  I will 
take  another  pen.  The  same  is  true  of  an  ele- 
phant. I am  without  knowledge  of  what  it  may  be 
capable  of ! 

Before  I came  I dreamt  of  howdahs  and  cloth  of 
gold  trappings,  but  my  elephant  had  neither.  In 
fact  there  was  nothing  grand  about  him  but  his 


A NOVEL  EXPERIENCE. 


37  9 


ugliness.  His  back  was  covered  with  a piece  of 
raw  hide,  over  which  were  several  mats,  and  on 
either  side  of  the  ridgy  backbone  a shallow  basket, 
filled  with  fresh  leaves  and  twigs,  and  held  in  place 
by  ropes  of  rattan.  I dropped  into  one  of  these 
baskets  from  the  porch,  a young  Malay  lad  into  the 
other,  and  my  bag  was  tied  on  behind  with  rattan. 
A noose  of  the  same  with  a stirrup  served  for  the 
driver  to  mount.  He  was  a Malay,  wearing  only 
a handkerchief  and  sarong , a gossiping,  careless  fel- 
low, who  jumped  off  whenever  he  had  a chance  of 
a talk,  and  left  us  to  ourselves.  He  drove  with  a 
stick  with  a curved  spike  at  the  end  of  it,  which, 
when  the  elephant  was  bad,  was  hooked  into  the 
membranous  “ flapper,”  always  evoking  the  uprear- 
ing  and  brandishing  of  the  proboscis,  and  a sound 
of  ungentle  expostulation,  which  could  be  heard  a 
mile  off.  He  sat  on  the  head  of  the  beast,  some- 
times cross-legged,  and  sometimes  with  his  legs  be- 
hind the  huge  ear  covers.  Mr.  Maxwell  assured 
me  that  he  would  not  send  me  into  a region  with- 
out a European  unless  it  were  perfectly  safe,  which 
I fully  believed,  any  doubts  as  to  my  safety,  if  I had 
any,  being  closely  connected  with  my  steed. 

This  mode  of  riding  is  not  comfortable.  One 
sits  facing  forward  with  the  feet  dangling  over  the 
edge  of  the  basket.*  This  edge  soon  produces  a 
sharp  ache  or  cramp,  and  when  one  tries  to  get 


* See  Frontispiece. 


380  THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

relief  by  leaning  back  on  anything,  the  awkward, 
rolling  motion  is  so  painful,  that  one  reverts  to  the 
former  position  till  it  again  becomes  intolerable. 
Then  the  elephant  had  not  been  loaded  “with 
brains,”  and  his  pack  was  as  troublesome  as  the 
straw  shoes  of  the  Japanese  horses.  It  was  al- 
ways slipping  forward  or  backward,  and  as  I was 
heavier  than  the  Malay  lad,  I was  always  slipping 
down  and  trying  to  wriggle  myself  up  on  the  great 
ridge  which,  was  the  creature’s  backbone,  and 
always  failing,  and  the  mahout  was  always  stopping 
and  pulling  the  rattan  ropes  which  bound  the  whole 
arrangement  together,  but  never  succeeding  in  im- 
proving it. 

Before  we  had  traveled  two  hours,  the  great  bulk 
of  the  elephant,  without  any  warning,  gently  sub- 
sided behind,  and  then  as  gently  in  front,  the  huge, 
ugly  legs  being  extended  in  front  of  him,  and  the 
man  signed  to  me  to  get  off,  which  I did  by  getting 
on  his  head  and  letting  myself  down  by  a rattan 
rope  upon  the  driver,  who  made  a step  of  his  back, 
for  even  when  “kneeling,”  as  this  queer  attitude  is 
called,  a good  ladder  is  needed  for  comfortable 
getting  off  and  on.  While  the  whole  arrangement 
of  baskets  was  being  re-rigged,  I clambered  into  a 
Malay  dwelling  of  the  poorer  class,  and  was  courte- 
ously received  and  regaled  with  bananas  and  buffalo 
milk.  Hospitality  is  one  of  the  Malay  virtues. 
This  house  is  composed  of  a front  hut  and  a back 
hut  with  a communication.  Like  all  others  it  is 


MALA  Y PETS. 


331 


raised  to  a good  height  on  posts.  The  uprights  are 
of  palm,  and  the  elastic,  gridiron  floor  of  split  laths 
of  the  invaluable  nibong  palm  (oncosperma  filamen- 
tostcm).  The  sides  are  made  of  neatly  split  reeds, 
and  the  roof,  as  in  all  houses,  of  the  dried  leaves 
of  the  nipah  palm  ( nipa  fruticans ) stretched  over 
a high  ridge  pole  and  steep  rafters  of  bamboo. 
I could  not  see  that  a single  nail  had  been  used  in 
the  house.  The  whole  of  it  is  lashed  together  with 
rattan.  The  furniture  consists  entirely  of  mats, 
which  cover  a part  of  the  floor,  and  are  used  both 
for  sitting  on  and  sleeping  on,  and  a few  small,  hard, 
circular  bolsters  with  embroidered  ends.  A musket, 
a spear,  some  fishing-rods,  and  a buffalo  yoke  hung 
against  the  wall  of  the  reception  room.  In  the  back 
room,  the  province  of  the  women  and  children, 
there  were  an  iron  pot,  a cluster  of  bananas,  and 
two  calabashes.  The  women  wore  only  sarongs, 
and  the  children  nothing.  The  men,  who  were  not 
much  clothed,  were  lounging  on  the  mats. 

The  Malays  are  passionately  fond  of  pets,  and  are 
said  to  have  much  skill  in  taming  birds  and  animals. 
Doubtless  their  low  voices  and  gentle,  supple 
movements  never  shock  the  timid  sensitiveness  of 
brutes.  Besides  this,  Malay  children  yield  a very 
ready  obedience  to  their  elders,  and  are  encouraged 
to  invite  the  confidence  of  birds  and  beasts,  rather 
than  to  torment  them.  They  catch  birds  by  means 
of  bird-lime  made  of  gutta,  by  horse-hair  nooses,  and 
by  imitating  their  call.  I n this  small  house  there  were 


382 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


bamboo  cages  containing  twenty  birds,  most  of 
them  talking  minas  and  green-feathered  small 
pigeons.  They  came  out  of  their  cages  when 
called,  and  perched  in  rows  on  the  arms  of  the 
men.  I don’t  know  whether  the  mina  can  learn 
many  words,  but  it  imitates  the  human  voice  so 
wonderfully  that  in  Hawaii  when  it  spoke  English 
I was  quite  deceived  by  it.  These  minas  articu- 
lated so  humanly  that  I did  know  whether  a bird 
or  a Malay  spoke.  There  were  four  love-birds  in 
an  exquisitely  made  bamboo  cage,  lovely  little 
creatures  with  red  beaks  and  blue  and  green 
plumage.  The  children  catch  small  grasshoppers 
for  their  birds  with  a shovel-shaped  instrument  of 
open  rattan  work.  When  I add  that  there  were 
some  homely  domestic  fowls  and  a nearly  tailless 
cat,  I think  I have  catalogued  the  visible  posses- 
sions of  this  family,  with  the  exception  of  a bamboo 
cradle  with  a small  brown  inmate  hanging  from  the 
rafters,  and  a small  shed,  used,  I believe,  for  stor- 
ing rice. 

The  open  floor,  while  it  gives  air  and  ventila- 
tion, has  also  its  disadvantages,  for  solid  and  liquid 
refuse  is  thrown  through  it  so  conveniently  that  the 
ground  under  the  house  is  apt  to  contain  stagnant 
pools  and  heaps  of  decomposing  matter,  and  men 
lying  asleep  on  mats  on  these  gridirons  have  some- 
times been  stabbed  with  a kris  inserted  between 
the  bars  from  below  by  an  enemy  seeking  revenge. 

I must  not,  however,  give  the  impression  that 


MALAY  HOSPITALITY. 


383 


the  Malays  are  a dirty  people.  They  wash  their 
clothes  frequently,  and  bathe  as  often  as  is  possi- 
ble. They  try  to  build  their  houses  near  water,  and 
use  small  bathing-sheds. 

I went  into  another  house,  rather  poorer  than  the 
former,  and,  with  a touching  hospitality,  they  made 
signs  to  me  to  know  if  I would  like  a cocoa-nut.  1 
hinted  that  I would,  and  the  man  at  once  got  up 
and  called  to  him  an  ape  or  monkey  about  three 
feet  high,  which  was  playing  with  a child,  and  the 
animal  went  out  with  him,  and  in  no  time  was  at 
the  top  of  a tall  cocoa-nut  tree.  His  master  said 
something  to  him,  and  he  moved  about  examining 
the  nuts  till  he  decided  upon  a green  one,  which  he 
wrung  off,  using  teeth  and  hands  for  the  operation. 
The  slightly  acid  milk  was  refreshing,  but  its 
“ meat,”  which  was  of  the  consistency  and  nearly  the 
tastelessness  of  the  white  of  an  egg  boiled  for  five 
minutes,  was  not  so  good  as  that  of  the  riper  nuts. 

I had  walked  on  for  some  distance,  and  I had  to 
walk  back  again  before  I found  my  elephant.  I had 
been  poking  about  in  the  scrub  in  search  of  some 
acid  fruits,  and  when  I got  back  to  the  road,  was 
much  surprised  to  find  that  my  boots  were  filled 
with  blood,  and  on  looking  for  the  cause  I found 
five  small  brown  leeches,  beautifully  striped  with 
yellow,  firmly  attached  to  my  ankles.  I had  not 
heard  that  these  were  pests  in  Perak,  and  feared 
that  they  were  something  worse  ; but  the  elephant 
driver,  seeing  my  plight,  made  some  tobacco  juice 


3§4 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


and  squirted  it  over  the  creatures,  when  they  re- 
coiled in  great  disgust.  Owing  to  the  exercise  I 
was  obliged  to  take,  the  bites  bled  for  several  hours. 
I do  not  remember  feeling  the  first  puncture.  I 
have  now  heard  that  these  blood-suckers  infest 
leaves  and  herbage,  and  that  when  they  hear  the 
rustling  made  by  man  or  animal  in  passing,  they 
stretch  themselves  to  their  fullest  length,  and  if  they 
can  touch  any  part  of  his  body  or  dress  they  hold 
on  to  it,  and  as  quickly  as  possible  reach  some  spot 
where  they  can  suck  their  fill. 

I am  making  my  narrative  as  slow  as  my  journey, 
but  the  things  I write  of  will  be  as  new  to  you  as 
they  were  to  me.  New  it  was  certainly  to  stand 
upon  a carpet  of  the  sensitive  plant  at  noon,  with  the 
rays  of  a nearly  vertical  sun  streaming  down  from  a 
cloudless,  steely  blue  sky,  watching  the  jungle  mon- 
ster meekly  kneeling  on  the  ground,  with  two  Ma- 
lays who  do  not  know  a word  of  English  as  my 
companions,  and  myself  unarmed  and  unescorted  in 
the  heart  of  a region  so  lately  the  scene  of  war, 
about  which  seven  blue  blooks  have  been  written, 
and  about  the  lawlessness  and  violence  of  which  so 
many  stories  have  been  industriously  circulated. 

Certainly  I always  dreamed  that  there  must  be 
something  splendid  in  riding  on  an  elephant,  but  I 
don’t  feel  the  least  accession  of  dignity  in  conse- 
quence. It  is  true,  however,  here,  that  though  the 
trappings  are  mean  and  almost  savage,  a man’s 
importance  is  estimated  by  the  number  of  his 


"A  FEARFUL  JOY. 


385 


elephants.  When  the  pack  was  adjusted,  the 
mahout  jumped  on  the  back,  and  giving  me  his 
hands  hauled  me  up  over  the  head,  after  which  the 
creature  rose  gently  from  the  ground,  and  we  went 
on  our  journey. 

But  the  ride  was  “ a fearful  joy,”  if  a joy  at  all  ! 
Soon  the  driver  jumped  off  for  a gossip  and  a 
smoke,  leaving  the  elephant  to  “ gang  his  ain  gates  ” 
for  a mile  or  more,  and  he  turned  into  the  jungle, 
where  he  began  to  rend  and  tear  the  trees,  and 
then  going  to  a mud-hole,  he  drew  all  the  water  out 
of  it,  squirted  it  with  a loud  noise  over  himself  and 
his  riders,  soaking  my  clothes  with  it,  and  when  he 
turned  back  to  the  road  again,  he  several  times 
stopped  and  seemed  to  stand  on  his  head  by  stiffen- 
ing his  proboscis  and  leaning  upon  it,  and  when  I 
hit  him  with  my  umbrella  he  uttered  the  loudest 
roar  I ever  heard.  My  Malay  fellow-rider  jumped 
off  and  ran  back  for  the  driver,  on  which  the  pan- 
niers came  altogether  down  on  my  side,  and  I hung 
on  with  difficulty,  wondering  what  other  possible 
contingencies  could  occur,  always  expecting  that 
the  beast,  which  was  flourishing  his  proboscis, 
would  lift  me  off  with  it  and  deposit  me  in  a mud- 
hole. 

On  the  driver’s  return  I had  to  dismount  again, 
and  this  time  the  elephant  was  allowed  to  go  and 
take  a proper  bath  in  a river.  He  threw  quantities 
of  water  over  himself,  and  took  up  plenty  more 
with  which  to  cool  his  sides  as  he  went  along. 

25 


386 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


Thick  as  the  wrinkled  hide  of  an  elephant  looks,  a 
very  small  insect  can  draw  blood  from  it,  and,  when 
left  to  himself,  he  sagaciously  plasters  himself  with 
mud  to  protect  himself,  like  the  water  buffalo. 
Mounting  again,  I rode  for  another  two  hours,  but 
he  crawled  about  a mile  an  hour,  and  seemed  to 
have  a steady  purpose  to  lie  down.  He  roared 
whenever  he  was  asked  to  go  faster,  sometimes 
with  a roar  of  rage,  sometimes  in  angry  and  some- 
times in  plaintive  remonstrance.  The  driver  got 
off  and  walked  behind  him,  and  then  he  stopped 
altogether.  Then  the  man  tried  to  pull  him  along 
by  putting  a hooked  stick  in  his  huge  “ flapper,”  but 
this  produced  no  other  effect  than  a series  of  howls  ; 
then  he  got  on  his  head  again,  after  which  the  brute 
made  a succession  of  hu,ge  stumbles,  each  one  of 
which  threatened  to  be  a fall,  and  then  the  driver, 
with  a look  of  despair,  got  off  again.  Then  I made 
signs  that  I would  get  off,  but  the  elephant  refused 
to  lie  down,  and  I let  myself  down  his  unshapely 
shoulder  by  a rattan  rope,  till  I could  use  the  ma- 
hout’s shoulders  as  steps.  The  baskets  were  taken 
off  and  left  at  a house,  the  elephant  was  turned 
loose  in  the  jungle  ; I walked  the  remaining  miles 
to  Kwala  Kangsa,  and  the  driver  carried  my  port- 
manteau ! Such  was  the  comical  end  of  my  first 
elephant  ride.  I think  that  altogether  I walked 
about  eight  miles,  and  I was  not  knocked  up ; this 
says  a great  deal  for  the  climate  of  Perak.  The 
Malay  who  came  with  me  told  the  people  here  that 


GUNONG  POND  OK. 


3S7 


it  was  “ a wicked  elephant,”  but  I have  since  been 
told  “ that  it  was  very  sick  and  tired  to  death,’’ 
which  I hope  is  the  true  version  of  its  most  obnox- 
ious conduct. 

I have  said  nothing  about  the  magnificence  of  the 
scenery  for  a part  of  the  way,  where  the  road  goes 
through  a grand  mountain  pass,  where  all  the  veg- 
etable glories  of  the  tropics  seem  assembled,  and 
one  gets  a new  idea  of  what  scenery  can  be ; while 
beneath  superb  tree-ferns  and  untattered  bananas, 
and  palms,  and  bright-flowered  lianas,  and  graceful 
trailers,  and  vermilion-colored  orchids,  and  under 
sun-birds  and  humming  birds  and  the  most  splendid 
butterflies  I ever  saw,  a torrent,  as  clear  as  crystal, 
dashes  over  the  rocks,  and  adds  the  music  of  tum- 
bling water  to  the  enchantment  of  a scene  whose 
loveliness  no  words  can  give  any  idea  of.  The 
pass  of  Bukit  Berapit,  seen  in  solitude  on  a glorious 
morning,  is  almost  worth  a journey  round  the 
world. 

Another  wonder  of  the  route  is  Gunong  Pondok, 
a huge  butte  or  isolated  mass  of  red  and  white  lime- 
stone, much  weather-stained  and  ore-stained  with 
very  brilliant  colors,  full  of  caverns,  many  of  which 
are  quite  inaccessible,  their  entrances  fringed  with 
immense  stalactites.  Some  of  the  accessible  caves 
have  roofs  seventy  feet  in  height.  Gunong  Pun- 
dok  is  shaped  like  the  Bass  Rock,  and  is  about 
twelve  hundred  feet  in  height.  Its  irregular  top  is 
forest-crowned,  but  its  nearly  perpendicular  walls  of 


388 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


white  or  red  rock  afford  scarcely  roothold  for  trees, 
and  it  rises  in  comparatively  barren  solitude  among 
the  forest-covered  mountains  of  the  interior. 

At  the  end  of  ten  hours’  traveling,  as  I was 
tramping  along  alone,  I began  to  meet  Malays,  then 
I met  nine  elephants  in  groups  of  three,  with  men, 
women,  and  children  on  their  backs,  apparently 
taking  “ an  airing,”  the  beasts  looking  grand,  as 
their  fronts  always  do.  But  that  part  of  the  road 
passes  through  a lonely  jungle  region,  tiger,  elephant, 
and  rhinoceros  haunted,  and  only  broken  here  and 
there  by  some  rude  Malay  cultivation  of  bananas 
or  sugar-cane.  When  the  sun  was  low  I looked 
down  upon  a broad,  and  beautiful  river,  with  hills 
and  mountains  on  its  farther  side,  a village  on  the 
shores  of  a promontory,  and  above  that  a grassy 
hill  with  a bungalow  under  cocoa-palms  at  its  top, 
which  I knew  must  be  the  Residency,  from  the 
scarlet  uniforms  at  the  door.  There  was  a small 
bridge  over  the  Kangsa,  then  a guard-room  and 
some  official  residences  on  stilts,  and  at  the  top  of 
a steep  slope  the  bungalow,  which  has  a long  flight 
of  stairs  under  a latticed  porch,  leading  to  a broad 
and  comfortably  furnished  veranda  used  as  the 
Resident’s  office  and  sitting-room,  the  centre  part, 
which  has  a bed-room  on  each  side  of  it  and  runs 
to  the  back  of  the  house,  serving  for  the  eating- 
place.  It  is  as  unpretending  a dwelling  as  can  be. 
It  keeps  out  the  sun  and  rain,  and  gives  all  the 
comfort  which  is  needed  in  this  climate,  but  nothing 


CHINESE  HOUSES  AND  MALAY  BATHING-SHED,  KANGSA  RIVER. 


KWALA  KANGSA. 


389 


more.  My  journey  of  thirty-three  miles  from  the 
coast  has  brought  me  into  the  interior  of  the  State, 
where  the  Kangsa  river  joins  the  Perak,  at  a dis- 
tance of  a hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  its  mouth, 
and  I am  alone  in  the  wilds  ! 


LETTER  XX. — Continued. 


I fear  that  the  involvement  and  confusion  of 
dates  in  this  letter  will  be  most  puzzling.  I was 
received  by  a magnificent  Oriental  butler,  and  after 
I had  had  a delicious  bath,  dinner,  or  what  Assam 
was  pleased  to  call  breakfast,  was  “ served.”  The 
word  “ served  ” was  strictly  applicable,  for  linen, 
china,  crystal,  flowers,  cooking,  were  all  alike  ex- 
quisite. Assam,  the  Madrassee,  is  handsomer  and 
statelier  than  Babu  at  Malacca  ; a smart  Malay  lad 
helps  him,  and  a Chinaman  sits  on  the  steps  and 
pulls  the  punkah.  All  things  were  harmonious, 
the  glorious  cocoa-palms,  the  bright  green  slopes, 
the  sunset  gold  on  the  lake-like  river,  the  ranges 
of  forest-covered  mountains  etherealizing  in  the 
purple  light,  the  swarthy  faces  and  scarlet  uniforms 
of  the  Sikh  guard,  and  rich  and  luscious  odors, 
floated  in  on  balmy  airs,  glories  of  the  burning 
tropics,  untellable  and  incommunicable  ! 

My  valise  had  not  arrived,  and  I had  been  obliged 
to  re-dress  myself  in  my  mud-splashed  tweed  dress, 
therefore  I was  much  annoyed  to  find  the  table  set 
for  three,  and  I hung  about  unwillingly  in  the 
veranda,  fully  expecting  two  Government  clerks  in 
faultless  evening  dress  to  appear,  and  I was  vexed 

390 


A GROTESQUE  DINNER  EAR  TV.  39 1 

to  think  that  my  dream  of  solitude  was  not  to  be 
realized,  when  Assam  more  emphatically  assured 
me  that  the  meal  was  “ served,”  and  I sat  down, 
much  mystified,  at  the  well-appointed  table,  when 
he  led  in  a large  ape,  and  the  Malay  servant  brought 
in  a small  one,  and  a Sikh  brought  in  a large  re- 
triever and  tied  him  to  my  chair  ! This  was  all 
done  with  the  most  profound  solemnity.  The  cir- 
cle being  then  complete,  dinner  proceeded  with 
great  stateliness.  The  apes  had  their  curry,  chut- 
ney, pine-apple,  eggs,  and  bananas  on  porcelain 
plates,  and  so  had  I.  The  chief  difference  was  that, 
whereas  I waited  to  be  helped,  the  big  ape  was  im- 
polite enough  occasionally  to  snatch  something 
from  a dish  as  the  butler  passed  round  the  table, 
and  that  the  small  one  before  very  long  migrated 
from  his  chair  to  the  table,  and,  sitting  by  my 
plate,  helped  himself  daintily  from  it.  What  a 
grotesque  dinner  party  ! What  a delightful  one  ! 
My  “ next  of  kin  ” were  so  reasonably  silent ; they 
required  no  conversational  efforts  ; they  were  most 
interesting  companions.  “Silence  is  golden,”  I 
felt  ; shall  I ever  enjoy  a dinner  party  so  much 
again  ? 

My  acquaintance  with  these  fellow-creatures  was 
made  just  after  I arrived.  I saw  the  two  tied  by 
long  ropes  to  the  veranda  rail  above  the  porch,  and 
not  liking  their  looks,  went  as  far  from  them  as  I 
could  to  write  to  you.  The  big  one  is  perhaps  four 
feet  high  and  very  strong,  and  the  little  one  is  about 


392 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


twenty  inches  high.*  After  a time  I heard  a cry 
of  distress,  and  saw  that  the  big  one,  whose  name 
is  Mahmoud,  was  frightening  Eblis,  the  small  one. 
Eblis  ran  away,  but  Mahmoud  having  got  the  rope 
in  his  hands,  pulled  it  with  a jerk  each  time  Eblis 
got  to  the  length  of  his  tether,  and  beat  him  with 
the  slack  of  it.  I went  as  near  to  them  as  I dared, 
hoping  to  rescue  the  little  creature,  and  he  tried 
to  come  to  me,  but  was  always  jerked  back,  the 
face  of  Mahmoud  showing  evil  triumph  each  time. 
At  last  Mahmoud  snatched  up  a stout  Malacca 
cane,  and  dragging  Eblis  near  him,  beat  him  un- 
mercifully, the  cries  of  the  little  semi-human  creat- 
ure being  most  pathetic.  I vainly  tried  to  get 
the  Sikh  sentry  to  interfere ; perhaps  it  would 
have  been  a breach  of  discipline  if  he  had  left 
his  post,  but  at  the  moment  I should  have  been 
glad  if  he  had  run  Mahmoud  through  with  a bayonet. 
Failing  this,  and  the  case  being  clearly  one  of 
murderous  assault,  I rushed  at  the  rope  which 
tied  Eblis  to  the  veranda  and  cut  it  through, 
which  so  startled  the  big  fellow  that  he  let  him 
go,  and  Eblis,  beaten  I fear  to  a jelly,  jumped 
upon  my  shoulder  and  flung  his  arms  round  my 
throat  with  a grip  of  terror  ; mine,  I admit,  being 
scarcely  less. 


* The  sheet  of  my  letter  in  which  I afterward  described  the  physique  of 
these  apes  has  unfortunately  been  lost,  and  I dare  not  trust  to  my  memory 
in  a matter  in  which  accuracy  is  essential.  The  description  of  an  ape  on 
page  276  approaches  near  to  my  recollection  of  them. 


MONKEY  AFFECTION. 


393 


I carried  him  to  the  easy-chair  at  the  other  end 
of  the  veranda,  and  he  lay  down  confidingly  on 
my  arm,  looking  up  with  a bewitching,  pathetic 
face,  and  murmuring  sweetly  “ Ouf ! ouf!"  He 
has  scarcely  left  me  since,  except  to  go  out  to  sleep 
on  the  attap  roof.  He  is  the  most  lovable,  infatu- 
ating, little  semi-human  creature,  so  altogether  fas- 
cinating that  I could  waste  the  whole  day  in  watch- 
ing him.  As  I write,  he  sometimes  sits  on  the 
table  by  me  watching  me  attentively,  or  takes  a 
pen,  dips  it  in  the  ink,  and  scribbles  on  a sheet  of 
paper.  Occasionally  he  turns  over  the  leaves  of 
a book  ; once  he  took  Mr.  Low’s  official  corre- 
spondence, envelope  by  envelope,  out  of  the  rack, 
opened  each,  took  out  the  letters  and  held  them  as 
if  reading,  but  always  replaced  them.  Then  he  be- 
comes companionable,  and  gently  taking  my  pen 
from  my  hand,  puts  it  aside  and  lays  his  dainty 
hand  in  mine,  and  sometimes  he  lies  on  my  lap  as 
I write,  with  one  long  arm  round  my  throat,  and 
the  small,  antique,  pathetic  face  is  occasionally 
laid  softly  against  mine,  uttering  the  monosylla- 
ble"^?//'/ ouf!  ” which  is  capable  of  a variation 
of  tone  and  meaning  truly  extraordinary.  Mah- 
moud is  sufficiently  polite,  but  shows  no  sign  of 
friendliness,  I am  glad  to  say.  As  I bore  Eblis 
out  of  reach  of  his  clutches  he  threw  the  cane  either 
at  him  or  me,  and  then  began  to  dance. 

That  first  night  tigers  came  very  near  the  house, 
roaring  discontentedly.  At  4 a.m.  I was  awoke  by 


394 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


a loud  noise,  and  looking  out,  saw  a wonderful 
scene.  The  superb  plumes  of  the  cocoa-nut  trees 
were  motionless  against  a sky  blazing  with  stars. 
Four  large  elephants,  part  of  the  regalia  of  a de- 
posed Sultan,  one  of  them,  the  Royal  Elephant,  a 
beast  of  prodigious  size,  were  standing  at  the  door, 
looking  majestic  ; mahouts  were  flitting  about  with 
torches  ; Sikhs,  whose  great  stature  was  exagger- 
ated by  the  fitful  light, — some  in  their  undress 
white  robes,  and  others  in  scarlet  uniforms  and  blue 
turbans — were  grouped  as  onlookers,  the  torchlight 
glinted  on  peripatetic  bayonets,  and  the  greenish, 
undulating  lamps  of  countless  fireflies  moved  gently 
in  the  shadow. 

I have  now  been  for  three  nights  the  sole  inhab- 
itant  of  this  bungalow ! I have  taken  five  meals  in 
the  society  of  apes  only,  who  make  me  laugh  with 
genuine  laughter.  The  sentries  are  absolutely 
silent,  and  I hardly  hear  a human  voice.  It  is  so 
good  to  be  away  for  a time  from  the  “wearing 
world,”  from  all  clatter,  chatter,  and  “ strife  of 
tongues,”  in  the  unsophisticated  society  of  apes  and 
elephants.  Dullness  is  out  of  the  question.  The 
apes  are  always  doing  something  new,  and  are  far 
more  initiative  than  imitative.  Eblis  has  just  now 
taken  a letter  of  yours  from  an  elastic  band,  and  is 
holding  it  wide  open  as  if  he  were  reading  it ; an 
untamed  siamang,  which  lives  on  the  roof,  but  has 
mustered  up  courage  to-day  to  come  down  into  the 
veranda,  has  jumped  like  a demon  on  the  retriever’s 


AN  EXPEDITION. 


395 


back,  and  riding  astride,  is  beating  him  with  a 
ruler;  and  jolly,  wicked  Mahmoud,  having  taken 
the  cushions  out  of  the  chairs,  has  laid  them  in  a 
row,  has  pulled  a table  cover  off  the  table,  and  hav- 
ing rolled  it  up  for  a pillow,  is  now  lying  down  in 
an  easy,  careless  attitude,  occasionally  helping  him- 
self to  a piece  of  pine-apple.  When  they  are  angry 
they  make  a fearful  noise,  and  if  you  hinder  them 
from  putting  their  hands  into  your  plate  they  shriek 
with  rage  like  children,  and  utter  much  the  same 
sound  as  the  Ainos  do  when  displeased.  They 
seem  frightfully  jealous  of  the  sweet  little  wah-wah 
Eblis.  Mahmoud  beats  it  and  teases  it  whenever 
it  is  not  with  me ; he  takes  its  food,  and  when  it 
screams  with  rage  he  laughs  and  shows  his  white 
teeth.  He  upset  all  the  chairs  in  the  veranda  this 
morning,  and  when  I attempted  to  scold  him  he 
took  a banana  which  he  was  peeling  and  threw  it  at 
me.  I am  sure  that  he  would  have  a great  deal  of 
rough  wit  if  he  could  speak  our  tongue. 

The  night  I came,  Mr.  Low’s  clerk,  a Singhalese, 
came  to  arrange  an  expedition,  and  early  the  next 
morning,  after  I had  breakfasted  with  the  apes,  he 
arrived,  bringing  the  Royal  Elephant,  as  well-broken 
and  stately  an  animal  as  I should  wish  to  ride. 
He  is  such  a height  (they  say  ten  feet !)  that, 
though  he  lay  down  to  be  mounted,  a good-sized 
ladder  was  needed  for  the  climb  upon  his  back. 
Assam  put  pillows  and  a good  lunch  into  the  bas- 
kets, and  as  the  day  was  glorious  from  sunrise 


396 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


to  sunset  I had  an  altogether  delightful  expedi- 
tion. 

We  turned  at  once  into  the  jungle,  and  rode 
through  it  for  seven  hours  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
Perak  river.  The  loveliness  was  intoxicating.  The 
trees  were  lofty  and  magnificent;  there  were  very 
many  such  as  I have  not  seen  before.  Many  run 
up  a hundred  feet  or  more  before  they  branch. 
The  twilight  was  green  and  dim,  and  ofttimes 
amidst  the  wealth  of  vegetation  not  a flower  was  to 
be  seen.  But  as  often,  through  rifts  in  the  leafage 
far  aloft,  there  were  glimpses  of  the  sunny,  heavenly 
blue  sky,  and  now  and  then  there  were  openings 
where  trees  had  fallen,  and  the  glorious  tropical  sun- 
shine streamed  in  on  gaudy  blossoms  of  huge  trees, 
and  on  pure  white  orchids,  and  canary-colored 
clusters  borne  by  lianas;  on  sun-birds,  iridescent 
and  gorgeous  in  the  sunlight;  and  on  butterflies, 
some  all  golden,  others  amber  and  black,  and  amber 
and  blue,  some  with  velvety  bands  of  violet  and 
green,  others  altogether  velvety  black  with  spots  of 
vermilion  or  emerald-green,  the  under  side  of  the 
wings  corresponding  to  the  spot,  while  sometimes 
a shoal  of  turquoise-blue  or  wholly  canary-colored 
sprites  fluttered  in  the  sunbeams;  the  flash  of  sun- 
birds  and  the  flutter  of  butterflies  giving  one  an  idea 
of  the  joy  which  possibly  was  intended  to  be  the  her- 
itage of  all  animated  existence.  In  these  openings 
I was  glad  for  the  moment  to  be  neither  an  ornith- 
ologist nor  an  entomologist,  so  that  I might  leave 


A PERAK  JUNGLE.  397 

every  one  of  these  daintily  colored  creatures  to  the 
enjoyment  of  its  life  and  beauty. 

It  was  not  the  trees  and  lianas  only  that  were 
beautiful  in  these  sunny  openings,  but  the  ferns, 
mosses,  orchids,  and  selaginellas,  with  the  crimson- 
tipped  dracaena,  and  the  crimson-veined  caladium, 
and  the  great  red  nepenthe  with  purple  blotches  on 
its  nearly  diaphanous  pitchers,  and  another  pitcher- 
plant  of  an  epiphytal  habit,  with  pea-green  pitchers 
scrambling  to  a great  height  over  the  branches  of 
the  smaller  trees.  The  beautiful  tree-ferns  them- 
selves were  loaded  with  other  ferns,  orchids,  and 
mosses  ; every  fallen  tree  was  draped  with  fresh 
green  forms,  every  swampy  bit  was  the  home  of 
mottled  aroids,  film  ferns,  and  foliage  plants,  mostly 
green  and  gold,  while  in  some  places  there  were  gin- 
ger-worts with  nobleshining  leaves  fullysix  feet  long. 

In  the  green  twilight  of  the  depths  of  the  forest 
the  dew  gemmed  the  leaves  till  nearly  10  a.m.,  but 
in  the  openings  the  sun  blazed  with  the  heat  of  a 
furnace.  The  silence  and  colorlessness  of  the  heart 
of  the  forest,  and  the  color,  vivacity,  light,  and 
movement  in  the  openings,  and  among  the  tree- 
tops,  contrast  most  curiously.  Legions  of  monkeys 
inhabit  the  tree-tops,  and  seem  to  lead  a completely 
aerial  life.  It  is  said  that  they  never  come  down 
to  earth,  but  that  they  cross  the  forests  swinging 
themselves  from  tree  to  tree. 

The  Malays,  if  they  can,  build  their  kampongs 
near  rivers,  and  during  the  day  we  passed  several  of 


398  THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

these.  Several  had  mosques  more  or  less  rude. 
Every  village  consists  of  such  houses  as  I have 
described  before,  grouped,  but  not  by  any  means 
closely,  under  the  shade  of  cocoa-palms,  jak , durion, 
bread-fruit,  mango,  nutmeg,  and  other  fruit-trees. 
Plantations  of  bananas  are  never  far  off.  Many  of 
these  people  have  “dug  outs”  or  other  boats  on 
the  adjacent  river,  some  have  bathing-sheds,  and 
others  padi  plantations.  These  kampongs  have 
much  of  the  poetry  as  well  as  inanity  of  tropical  life 
about  them.  They  are  beautiful  and  appropriate, 
and  food  is  above  them  and  around  them.  “ The 
primal  curse  ” can  hardly  be  known.  A very  little 
labor  provides  all  that  the  Malay  desires,  and  if  the 
tenure  of  the  land  be  secure  (and  the  lack  of  security 
is  one  of  the  great  evils),  and  he  be  not  over-taxed, 
his  life  must  be  calm  and  easy,  if  not  happy.  The 
people  were  always  courteous,  and  my  Singhalese 
escort  held  long  conversations  in  every  kampong. 
These  jungle  dwellers  raise  their  houses  on  very 
high  posts,  partly  because  tigers  abound.  The  jak 
trees  ( artocarpus  incisa),  near  of  kin  to  the  bread- 
fruit, and  the  durion,  flourish  round  all  the  dwellings. 
The  jak  fruit,  which  may  be  called  food  rather  than 
fruit,  grows  without  a visible  stem  from  the  trunk 
and  branches  of  the  very  handsome  tree  which  bears 
it,  and  weighs  from  sixty  to  seventy  pounds.  The 
durion  grows  to  the  size  of  a man’s  head,  and  is 
covered  closely  with  hard,  sharp  spines.  The  fall 
of  either  on  one’s  head  or  shoulder  is  much  to  be 


VILLAGE  LLFE. 


399 


deprecated,  and  the  Malays  stretch  strong  nets 
above  their  houses  to  secure  themselves  from 
accidents. 

I saw  for  the  first  time  the  nutmeg  growing  in 
perfection.  It  was  a great  delight,  as  is  the  first 
sight  of  any  tree  or  flower  well  known  from  descrip- 
tion. It  is  a beautiful  tree,  from  forty  to  fifty  feet 
high  when  full  grown,  with  shining  foliage,  some- 
what resembling  that  of  the  bay,  and  its  fruit  looks 
like  a very  large  nectarine.  One  fully  ripe  was 
gathered  for  me.  It  had  opened,  and  revealed  the 
nutmeg  with  its  dark  brown  shell  showing  through 
its  crimson  reticulated  envelope  of  mace,  the  whole 
lying  in  a bed  of  pure  white,  a beautiful  object. 

Each  house  in  the  kampong  seemed  to  have  all 
its  inmates  at  home  doing  nothing  but  chewing 
betel-nut.  In  their  home  deshabilles  the  men  wear 
only  the  sarong , and  a handkerchief  knotted  round 
their  heads,  and  I think  that  the  women  also  dis- 
pense with  an  upper  garment,  for  I noticed  at  the 
approach  of  two  strange  men  they  invariably  hud- 
dled another  sarong  over  their  shoulders,  heads,  and 
faces,  holding  it  so  as  to  conceal  all  but  their  eyes. 
The  young  children,  as  usual,  were  only  clothed  in 
silver  ornaments.  This  neglige  dress  in  the  privacy 
of  their  homes  is  merely  a matter  of  custom  and 
climate,  for  these  people  are  no  more  savages  than 
we  are.  These  glimpses  of  a native  tropic  life,  en- 
tirely uninfluenced  by  European  civilization,  are 
most  interesting. 

o 


400 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


In  these  kampongs  the  people  have  music,  singing, 
story-telling,  games,  and  religious  ceremonies,  per- 
haps the  most  important  of  all.  I have  not  heard 
that  the  Perak  Malays  differ  in  their  religious  ob- 
servances from  the  other  Malays  of  the  Peninsula. 
It  seems  that  before  “a  parish”  can  be  formed  there 
must  be  forty-four  houses.  The  kampong  may  then 
have  a properly  constituted  mosque  in  which  every 
Friday  the  religious  officer  recites  an  oration  in 
praise  of  God,  the  Prophet,  and  his  vicegerents, 
from  the  steps  of  a rostrum.  The  same  person 
performs  the  marriage  ceremony.  Another  official 
performs  sacrificial  duties,  and  recites  the  service 
for  the  dead  after  the  corpse  has  been  lowered  into 
the  grave.  There  is  an  inferior  official  of  the 
mosque  who  keeps  it  clean,  and  reports  to  the 
Imaum  absentees  from  public  worship,  goes  round 
the  villages  to  give  notice  of  public  prayer,  assists 
at  burials,  and  beats  the  great  drum  of  the  mosque. 
The  Imaum  appears  to  be  the  highest  functionary, 
and  performs  what  are  regarded  as  the  most  sacred 
rites  of  Islamism.  There  are  regular  fees  paid  to 
these  persons  for  their  services,  and  at  sacrifices 
they  receive  part  of  the  victim.  I was  afraid  of 
going  into  any  of  the  mosques.  They  are  all  coni- 
cal buildings  of  wood  and  attap  raised  on  wooden 
pillars,  and  are  usually  on  small  knolls  a little  way 
from  the  kampongs.  They  have  no  minarets,  but 
the  larger  ones  have  a separate  shed  in  which  the 
drum  or  gong  used  for  the  call  to  prayer  is  kept. 


A MOSLEM  FUNERAL. 


401 


Buffaloes  are  sacrificed  on  religious  occasions,  and 
at  the  births,  circumcisions,  marriages,  and  shaving 
of  the  heads  of  the  children  of  wealthy  people.  The 
buffalo  sacrificed  for  religious  purposes  must  be 
always  without  blemish.  Its  bones  must  not  be 
broken  after  death,  neither  must  its  horns  be  used 
for  common  purposes.  It  is  slain  near  the  mosque 
with  solemn  sacrificial  ceremonies,  and  one-half  is 
usually  cooked  and  eaten  on  the  spot  by  the 
“parishioners.” 

While  I am  on  the  subject  of  religious  observ- 
ances, I must  tell  you  that  I saw  a Moslem  funeral 
to-day  from  a respectful  distance.  The  graves  are 
decently  placed  together  usually,  though  some  of 
the  pious  rich  have  large  isolated  burial  places. 
The  grave  is  dug  by  rule — i.  e. , the  digger  continues 
his  work  till  his  ear  and  the  surface  are  on  a level. 
It  is  shaped  like  ours,  with  one  important  exception, 
that  a chamber  two  feet  high  for  the  reception  of 
the  body  is  dug  in  the  side. 

The  corpse,  that  of  a man  I believe,  covered 
with  a cloth  and  dressed  in  cotton  clothing,  was 
carried  on  a bier  formed  of  two  planks,  with  the 
male  relations  following.  On  reaching  the  grave 
the  Imaum  read  a service  in  a monotonous  tone, 
and  then  the  body  was  lowered  till  it  reached  the 
level  of  the  side  chamber,  in  which  it  was  placed, 
and  inclosed  with  the  planks  on  which  it  had  been 
carried.  Some  leaves  and  flowers  were  then  thrown 
in,  and  the  grave  was  filled  up,  after  which  some 
26 


402 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


water  was  sprinkled  upon  it,  and  a man,  not  the 
Imaum,  sitting  upon  it,  recited  what  the  Singhalese 
said  was  a sort  of  confession  of  faith,  turning 
toward  Mecca.  The  relatives  bowed  in  the  same 
direction  and  then  left  the  place,  but  on  stated  days 
afterward  offerings  of  spices  and  flowers  are  made. 
It  was  reverential  and  decorous,  perhaps  even  more 
so  than  the  Buddhist  funerals  which  I saw  in  Japan, 
but  the  tombs  are  not  so  carefully  tended,  and  look 
more  melancholy.  The  same  dumpy,  pawn-shaped 
pillars  are  placed  at  the  head  and  feet  of  the  raised 
mounds  of  earth  which  cover  the  graves,  as  in  Ma- 
lacca. It  is  believed  that  when  the  mourners  have 
retired  seven  paces  from  the  grave  two  angels  enter 
upon  inquisitorial  functions.  When  death  is  seen  to 
be  approaching,  the  dying  person  is  directed  to 
repeat  a short  form  of  confession  of  his  faith  in  the 
unity  of  God  ; and  if  he  is  unable,  it  is  recited  for 
him.  The  offices  of  washing  and  shrouding  the  dead 
are  religious  ceremonies,  and  are  performed  by  one 
of  the  officials  of  the  mosque.  \ he  influence  of  the 
great  Prophet  of  Arabia  is  wonderfully  enduring. 

This  letter,  which  began  among  sun-birds  and 
butterflies,  has  got  into  a dismal  groove,  out  of 
which  I must  rescue  it,  but  it  is  difficult  to  give  any 
consecutive  account  of  anything  when  the  fascinat- 
ing Eblis  murmurs  ouf ! ouf ! sits  on  my  writing 
book,  takes  my  pen  out  of  my  hand,  makes  these 
scrawls  which  I fear  will  make  my  writing  illegible, 
and  claims  constant  attention. 


THE  ROYAL  ELEPHANT. 


403 


The  Royal  Elephant  is  a noble  animal.  His 
docility  is  perfect.  He  climbed  up  and  down  places 
so  steep  that  a good  horse  would  have  bungled  at 
them,  pulled  down  trees  when  he  was  told  to  do  it, 
held  others  which  were  slanting  dangerously  across 
the  track  high  above  our  heads  till  we  had  safely 
passed  under  them,  lifted  fallen  trees  out  of  his  way, 
or  took  huge  steps  over  them,  and  slid  down  a steep 
bank  into  the  Perak  with  great  dexterity.  He  was 
told  to  take  a banana  tree  for  his  dinner,  and  he 
broke  off  the  tough  thick  stem  just  above  the 
ground  as  if  it  had  been  a stick,  then  neatly  strip- 
ped the  eight-foot  leaves,  and  holding  the  thick 
end  of  each  stalk  under  his  foot,  stripped  off  the 
whole  leaf  on  each  side  of  the  midrib,  and  then, 
with  the  dexterity  of  a monkey  peeling  a banana, 
he  peeled  off  the  thick  rind  from  the  stem,  and  rev- 
elled in  the  juices  of  the  soft  inside.  I was  sitting 
on  the  ground  in  a place  where  there  was  scarcely 
room  for  him  to  pass,  and  yet  he  was  so  noble  and 
gentle  that  I never  thought  of  getting  up,  even 
though  his  ponderous  feet  just  touched  me,  and  I 
ate  my  lunch  within  the  swing  of  his  huge  probos- 
cis, but  he  stood  quite  still,  except  that  he  flapped 
his  “ ears  ” and  squirted  water  over  himself.  Each 
elephant  has  his  own  driver,  and  there  is  quite  a 
large  vocabulary  of  elephant  language.  The  mahout 
carried  an  invaluable  knife-weapon,  called  a parang , 
broadest  and  heaviest  at  the  point,  and  as  we  passed 
through  the  jungle  he  slashed  to  right  and  left  to 


404 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


clear  the  track,  and  quite  thick  twigs  fell  with 
hardly  an  effort  on  his  part. 

After  traveling  for  several  hours  we  came  upon 
a kampong  under  palms  and  nutmeg  trees,  and  then 
dismounted  and  took  our  lunch,  looking  out  from 
deep  shadow  down  upon  the  beautiful  river  lying 
in  the  glory  of  the  noonday  sun,  its  banks  bright 
with  birds  and  butterflies.  The  mahout  was  here 
among  friends,  and  the  salutations  were  numerous. 
If  nose-rubbing  as  a form  of  greeting  is  practiced  I 
have  never  seen  it.  What  I have  seen  is  that  when 
one  man  approaches  another,  or  is  about  to  pay  a 
visit,  he  joins  his  hands  as  if  in  supplication,  and 
the  other  touches  them  on  both  sides,  and  after- 
ward raises  his  hands  to  his  lips  and  forehead.  It 
is  a courteous  looking  mode  of  salutation. 

At  this  point  the  Singhalese  said  that  the  natives 
told  him  that  it  was  possible  to  ford  the  Perak,  but 
that  the  mahout  said  that  the  elephant  was  a 
“diver,”  and  would  probably  dive,  but  that  there 
was  no  danger  to  us  except  of  getting  very  wet.  I 
liked  the  prospect  of  a journey  on  the  other  side,  so 
we  went  down  a steep  bank  into  the  broad,  bright, 
river,  and  putting  out  from  the  shore,  went  into  the 
middle,  and  shortly  the  elephant  gently  dropped 
down  and  was  entirely  submerged,  moving  majesti- 
cally along,  with  not  a bit  of  his  huge  bulk  visible, 
the  end  of  his  proboscis  far  ahead,  writhing  and  coil- 
ing like  a water  snake  every  nowand  then,  the  nos- 
trils always  in  sight,  but  having  no  apparent  con- 


SWIMMING  THE  PERAK. 


405 


nection  with  the  creature  to  which  they  belonged. 
Of  course  we  were  sitting  in  the  water,  but  it  was 
nearly  as  warm  as  the  air,  and  so  we  went  for  some 
distance  up  the  clear,  shining  river,  with  the  tropic 
sun  blazing  down  upon  it,  with  everything  that 
could  rejoice  the  eye  upon  its  shores,  with  little 
beaches  of  golden  sands,  and  above  the  forest  the 
mountains  with  varying  shades  of  indigo  coloring. 

There  would  have  been  nothing  left  to  wish  for 
if  you  had  been  there  to  see,  though  you  would 
have  tried  to  look  as  if  you  saw  an  elephant  moving 
submerged  along  a tropical  river  every  day  with 
people  of  three  races  on  his  back  ! ! 

The  Singhalese  said,  “ I’m  going  to  take  you  to 
Koto-lamah  ; no  European  has  been  there  since  the 
war.  I’ve  never  been  there,  nor  the  Resident 
either.”  I have  pored  over  blue  books  long  enough 
to  know  that  this  is  a place  which  earned  a most 
unenviable  notoriety  during  the  recent  troubles, 
and  is  described  as  “a  stronghold  of  piracy,  lawless- 
ness, and  disaffection.”  As  we  were  making  a di- 
agonal crossing  of  the  Perak,  the  Singhalese  said, 
“ A few  months  ago  they  would  have  been  firing  at 
us  from  both  sides  of  the  river.”  It  was  a beauti- 
ful view  at  that  point,  with  the  lovely  river  in  its 
windings,  and  on  the  top  of  the  steep  bank  a kcun- 
pong  of  largish  houses  under  palms  and  durions.  A 
good  many  people  assembled  on  the  cliff,  some  with 
muskets  and  some  with  spears,  and  the  Singhalese 
said,  “ I wish  we  had  not  come ; ” but  as  the  ele- 


406  the  golden  Chersonese. 

phant  scrambled  up  the  bank  the  people  seemed 
quite  friendly,  and  I dismounted  and  climbed  up  to 
a large  house  with  a very  open  floor,  on  which  fine 
mats  were  laid  in  several  places.  There  were  many 
women  and  children  in  the  room  when  I went  in, 
and  one  of  the  former  put  a fine  mat  over  a rice 
sack  for  me.  Presently  the  room  filled  up  with 
people,  till  there  were  fifty-nine  seated  in  circles  on 
the  floor,  but  some  of  the  men  remained  standing, 
one  a thorough  villain  in  looks,  a Hadji,  with  a 
dirty  green  turban  and  a red  sarong.  The  rest  of 
the  men  wore  handkerchiefs  and  sarongs  only. 

These  people  really  did  look  much  like  savages. 
They  all  carried  parangs , or  the  short  kris  called  a 
golo,  and  having  been  told  that  the  Malays  were 
disarmed,  I was  surprised  to  see  several  muskets,  a 
rifle,  and  about  thirty  spears  on  the  wall.  So  I 
found  myself  in  the  heart  of  what  has  been 
officially  described  as  “ a nest  of  robbers  and  mur- 
derers,” “ the  centre  of  disturbance  and  disaffec- 
tion,” etc.  To  make  it  yet  more  interesting,  on  in- 
quiring whose  house  it  was,  the  name  of  a notorious 
“ rebel  ” leader  was  mentioned,  and  one  of  the 
women,  I was  told,  is  the  principal  wife  or  rather 
widow  of  the  Maharajah  Lela,  who  was  executed 
for  complicity  in  the  assassination  of  Mr.  Birch. 
However,  though  as  a Briton  I could  not  have  been 
a welcome  visitor,  they  sent  a monkey  for  two 
cocoa-nuts,  and  gave  me  their  delicious  milk  ; and 
when  I came  away  they  took  the  entrance  ladder 


A MALAY  “ DUG-OUT, 


KWALA  KANGS  A.  407 

from  one  of  the  houses  to  help  me  to  mount  the 
elephant. 

Mr.  Low  was  at  first  displeased  that  I had  been 
to  Koto-lamah,  and  said  that  my  escort  was  “igno- 
rant and  foolish  ” for  taking  me ; but  now  he  says 
that  though  he  would  not  have  taken  the  responsi- 
bility of  sending  me,  he  is  glad  that  the  thing  was 
done,  as  it  affords  a proof  such  as  he  has  not  yet 
had  of  the  complete  pacification  of  the  district ; 
but,  he  added,  it  would  appear  somewhat  odd  that 
the  first  European  to  test  the  disposition  of  the 
Koto-lamah  people  should  be  a lady. 

Leaving  this  large  kampong  we  traveled  by  a 
much-grown-up  elephant  track,  needing  the  constant 
use  of  the  parang  and  the  strength  and  wisdom  of 
the  elephant  to  make  it  passable,  saw  several  lairs 
and  some  recent  tiger  tracks,  crossed  a very  steep 
hill,  and,  after  some  hours  of  hard  riding,  came 
down  upon  the  lovely  Perak,  which  we  crossed  in  a 
“ dugout  ” so  nearly  level  with  the  water  that  at  every 
stroke  of  the  paddle  of  the  native  who  crouched  in 
the  bow  the  water  ran  in  over  the  edge.  We 
landed  at  the  village  of  Kwala  Kangsa 

“ In  the  glory  of  the  sunset, 

In  the  purple  mists  of  evening,” 

in  which  the  magnified  purple  mountains  were 
piled  like  Alps  against  the  flaming  clouds.  By  the 
river  bank  lay  the  Dragon  boat  and  the  square 


408 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


bamboo  floating  bath,  through  the  side  of  which 
Mr.  Birch  was  mortally  wounded. 

On  landing  we  met  a very  bright  intelligent- 
looking  young  Malay  with  a train  of  followers,  a 
dandy  almost,  in  white  trousers,  short  red  sarong , 
black  baju  with  gold  buttons,  gold  watchguard,  and 
red  head  dress.  The  expression  of  his  face  was 
keen  and  slightly  scornful.  This  is  Rajah  Dris,  a 
judge,  and  the  probable  successor  to  the  Perak 
throne.  The  present  Resident  thinks  highly  both 
of  his  character  and  his  abilities,  and  he  is  very 
popular  among  his  countrymen.  He  walked  with 
us  as  far  as  the  mosque,  and  I heard  him  ask  ques- 
tions about  me.  The  Mussulmen  of  the  village, 
several  of  them  being  Hadjis,  were  assembling  for 
worship,  lounging  outside  the  mosque  till  the 
call  to  prayer  came.  Ablutions  before  worshiping 
are  performed  in  floating  baths  in  the  river.  The 
trade  of  Kwala  Kangsa  seems  in  the  hands  of  the 
Chinese,  with  a few  Klings  among  them,  and  they 
have  a row  of  shops. 


STREET  IN  KWALA  KANGSA. 


LETTER  XX. — Continued. 


Fcbriiary  17. — I was  very  glad  that  yesterday 
was  Sunday,  so  that  I had  a quiet  day,  for  nearly 
twelve  hours  of  jungle  riding  on  an  elephant  makes 
one  very  stiff  and  sleepy.  Three  days  of  solitude, 
meals  in  the  company  of  apes,  elephant  excursions, 
wandering  about  alone,  and  free,  open  air,  tropical 
life  in  the  midst  of  all  luxuries  and  comforts,  have 
been  very  enchanting.  At  night,  when  the  servants 
had  retired  to  their  quarters  and  the  apes  to  the  roof, 
and  I was  absolutely  alone  in  the  bungalow,  the 
silent  Oriental  sentries  motionless  below  the  ve- 
randa counting  for  nothing,  and  without  a single 
door  or  window  to  give  one  the  feeling  of  restraint, 
I had  some  of  the  “ I’m  monarch  of  all  I survey’’ 
feeling ; and  when  drum  beat  and  bugle  blast,  and 
the  turning  out  of  the  Sikh  guard,  indicated  that 
the  Resident  was  in  sight,  I felt  a little  reluctant 
to  relinquish  the  society  of  animals,  and  my  “ soli- 
tary reign,”  which  seemed  almost  “ancient”  also. 

When  Mr.  Low,  unattended  as  he  always  is, 
reached  the  foot  of  the  stairs  the  retriever  leapt 
down  with  one  bound,  and  through  the  air  over  his 
head  fled  Mahmoud  and  Eblis,  uttering  piercing 
cries,  the  siamang,  though  keeping  at  a distance, 

409 


410 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


adding  to  the  jubilations,  and  for  several  minutes  I 
saw  nothing  of  my  host,  for  these  creatures,  making 
every  intelligent  demonstration  of  delight,  were 
hanging  round  him  with  their  long  arms ; the 
retriever  nearly  wild  with  joy,  but  frantically 
jealous ; all  the  creatures  welcoming  him  more 
warmly  than  most  people  would  welcome  their  rela- 
tions after  a long"  absence.  Can  it  be  wondered  at 
that  people  like  the  society  of  these  simple,  loving, 
unsophisticated  beings  ? 

Mr.  Low’s  arrival  has  inflicted  a severe  mortifi- 
cation on  me,  for  Eblis,  who  has  been  absolutely 
devoted  to  me  since  I rescued  him  from  Mahmoud, 
has  entirely  deserted  me,  takes  no  notice  of  me, 
and  seems  anxious  to  disclaim  our  previous  ac- 
quaintance! I have  seen  children  do  just  the  same 
thing,  so  it  makes  the  kinship  appear  even  closer. 
He  shows  the  most  exquisite  devotion  to  his  mas- 
ter, caresses  him  with  his  pretty  baby  hands,  mur- 
murs ouf  in  the  tenderest  of  human  tones,  and  sits 
on  his  shoulder  or  on  his  knee  as  he  writes,  looking 
up  with  a strange  wistfulness  in  his  eyes,  as  if  he 
would  like  to  express  himself  in  something  better 
than  a monosyllable. 

This  is  a curious  life.  Mr.  Low  sits  at  one  end 
of  the  veranda  at  his  business  table  with  Eblis 
looking  like  his  familiar  spirit,  beside  him.  I sit  at 
a table  at  the  other  end,  and  during  the  long  work- 
ing hours  we  never  exchange  one  word.  Mahmoud 
sometimes  executes  wonderful  capers,  the  strange, 


THE  BRITISH  RESIDENT  4 1 1 

wild,  half-human  face  of  the  siamang  peers  down 
from  the  roof  with  a half-trustful,  half-suspicious 
expression ; the  retriever  lies  on  the  floor  with 
his  head  on  his  paws,  sleeping  with  one  eye  open, 
always  on  the  watch  for  a coveted  word  of  recogni- 
tion from  his  master,  or  a yet  more  coveted  oppor- 
tunity of  going  out  with  him  ; tiffin  and  dinner  are 
silently  served  in  the  veranda  recess  at  long  inter- 
vals ; the  sentries  at  the  door  are  so  silently  changed 
that  one  fancies  that  the  motionless  blue  turbans 
and  scarlet  coats  contain  always  the  same  men  ; in 
the  foreground  the  river  flows  silently,  and  the  soft 
airs  which  alternate  are  too  feeble  to  stir  the  over- 
shadowing palm-fronds  or  rustle  the  attap  of  the 
roof.  It  is  hot,  silent,  tropical.  The  sound  of  Mr. 
Low’s  busy  pen  alone  breaks  the  stillness  during 
much  of  the  day;  so  silent  is  it  that  the  first  heavy 
drops  of  the  daily  tropical  shower  on  the  roof  have 
a startling  effect. 

Mr.  Low  is  greatly  esteemed,  and  is  regarded  in 
the  official  circles  of  the  Settlements  as  a model 
administrator.  He  has  had  thirty  years’  experience 
in  the  East,  mainly  among  Malays,  and  has  brought 
not  only  a thoroughly  idiomatic  knowledge  of  the 
Malay  language,  but  a sympathetic  insight  into 
Malay  character  to  his  present  post.  He  under- 
stands the  Malays  and  likes  them,  and  has  not  a 
vestige  of  contempt  for  a dark  skin,  a prejudice 
which  is  apt  to  create  an  impassable  gulf  between 
the  British  official  and  the  Asiatics  under  his  sway. 


412 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


I am  inclined  to  think  that  Mr.  Low  is  happier 
among  the  Malays  and  among  his  apes  and  other 
pets  than  he  would  be  among  civilized  Europeans! 

Lie  is  working  fourteen  hours  out  of  the  twenty- 
four.  I think  that  work  is  his  passion,  and  a change 
of  work  his  sole  recreation.  He  devotes  himself  to 
the  promotion  of  the  interests  of  the  State,  and  his 
evident  desire  is  to  train  the  native  Rajahs  to  rule 
the  people  equitably.  He  seems  to  grudge  every 
dollar  spent  superfluously  on  the  English  establish- 
ment, and  contents  himself  with  this  small  and  old- 
fashioned  bungalow.  In  this  once  disaffected 
region  he  goes  about  unarmed,  and  in  the  daytime 
the  sentries  only  carry  canes.  His  manner  is  as 
quiet  and  unpretending  as  can  possibly  be,  and  he 
speaks  to  Malays  as  respectfully  as  to  Europeans, 
neither  lowering  thereby  his  own  dignity  nor  theirs. 
Apparently  they  have  free  access  to  him  during  all 
hours  of  daylight,  and  as  I sit  writing  to  you  or 
reading,  a Malay  shadow  constantly  falls  across  my 
paper,  and  a Malay,  with  silent,  cat-like  tread  glides 
up  the  steps  and  appears  unannounced  in  the 
veranda,  on  which  Mr.  Low  at  once  lays  aside 
whatever  he  is  doing,  and  quietly  gives  himself  to 
the  business  in  hand.  The  reigning  prince,  the 
Rajah  Muda  Yusuf,  and  Rajah  Dris,  are  daily 
visitors  ; the  former  brings  a troop  of  followers  with 
him,  and  they  remain  outside,  their  red  sarongs  and 
picturesque  attitudes  as  they  lounge  in  the  shade, 
giving  to  the  place  that  “ native  ” air  which  every- 


RAJAH  DRIS. 


413 


where  I love,  at  least  where  “natives”  are  treated 
as  I think  that  they  ought  to  be,  and  my  require- 
ments are  pretty  severe  ! 

I am  painfully  aware  of  the  danger  here,  as 
everywhere,  of  forming  hasty  and  inaccurate  judg- 
ments, and  of  drawing  general  conclusions  from 
partial  premises,  and  on  my  present  tour  there  is 
the  added  risk  of  seeing  things  through  official 
spectacles  ; but  still  certain  things  lie  on  the  sur- 
face, and  a traveler  must  be  very  stupid  indeed  if 
he  does  not  come  to  an  approximately  just  conclu- 
sion concerning  them.  As,  for  instance,  it  is  easy 
to  see  that  far  in  the  interior  of  the  Malay  Penin- 
sula, in  regions  rarely  visited  by  Europeans,  them- 
selves without  advisers,  and  away  from  the  influence 
of  public  opinion,  dealing  with  weak  rulers  to  whom 
they  represent  preponderating  brute  force  in  the 
last  resort,  the  position  of  “ Resident  ” is  very  much 
what  the  individual  man  chooses  to  make  it.  Nor 
is  it  difficult  to  perceive  whether  the  relations  be- 
tween the  English  official  and  the  natives  are  hearty 
and  cordial,  or  sullen  and  distrustful,  or  whether 
the  Resident  makes  use  of  his  position  for  purposes 
of  self-aggrandizement,  and  struts  tempestuously 
and  swaggeringly  before  the  Malays,  or  whether  he 
devotes  his  time  and  energies  to  the  promotion  of 
prosperity,  good  order,  and  progress,  in  a firm  and 
friendly  spirit. 

After  a very  quiet  day  we  went  at  sunset,  to  see 
Rajah  Dris,  not  taking  the  dog.  The  trifling  mat- 


4 H THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

ter  of  the  dog  being  regarded  as  an  abomination  is 
one  of  the  innumerable  instances  of  the  ingrained 
divergence  between  Moslem  and  Christian  feeling. 
Rajah  Dris  lives  in  a good  house,  but  it  is  Europe- 
anized, and  consequently  vulgarized.  He  received 
us  very  politely  on  the  stairs,  and  took  us  into  a 
sitting-room  in  which  there  were  various  ill-assorted 
European  things.  His  senior  wife  was  brought  in, 
a dull,  heavy-looking  woman,  a daughter  of  the 
Rajah  Muda  Yusuf,  and  after  her  a number  of 
slave  women  and  babies,  till  the  small  room  was 
well  filled.  The  Rajah  hospitably  entertained  us 
with  tea,  milk,  and  preserved  bananas  ; but  I no- 
ticed with  regret  that  the  white  table-cloth  was 
much  soiled,  and  that  the  china  and  glass  were  in 
very  bad  taste.  The  house  and  its  equipments  are 
a distressing  contrast  to  those  of  the  Datu  Bandar 
in  Sungei  Ujong,  who  adheres  closely  to  Malay 
habits.  Rajah  Dris  sent  a servant  the  whole  way 
back  with  us,  carrying  a table  lamp. 

To-day  the  mercury  was  at  go  for  several  hours. 
The  nights,  however,  are  cool  enough  for  sleep.  I 
have  lately  taken  to  the  Malay  custom  of  a sleep- 
ing mat,  and  find  it  cooler  than  even  the  hardest 
mattress.  I did  not  sleep  much,  however,  for  so 
many  rats  and  lizards  ran  about  my  room.  These 
small,  bright-eyed  lizards  go  up  the  walls  in  search 
of  fl  ies.  1 hey  dart  upon  the  fly  with  very  great  speed, 
but  just  as  you  think  that  they  are  about  to  swal- 
low him  they  pause  for  a second  or  two  and  then 


A RA  VENOUS  APE. 


415 


make  the  spring.  I have  never  seen  a fly  escape 
during  this  pause,  which  looks  as  if  the  lizard 
charmed  or  petrified  his  victim.  The  Malays  have 
a proverb  based  upon  this  fact:  “Even  the  lizard 
gives  the  fly  time  to  pray.”  There  were  other 
noises  ; for  wild  beasts,  tigers  probably,  came  so 
near  as  to  scare  the  poultry  and  horses,  and  roared 
sullenly  in  the  neighborhood  fora  long  time,  and  the 
sentries  challenged  two  people,  after  which  I heard 
a messenger  tell  Mr.  Low  of  a very  distressing  death. 

Feb.  18. — Major  Swinburne  and  Captain  Walker 
arrived  in  the  morning,  and  we  had  a grand  tiffin 
at  twelve,  and  Mahmoud  was  allowed  to  sit  on  the 
table,  and  he  ate  sausages,  pommeloe,  bananas, 
pineapple,  chicken  and  curry,  and  then  seizing  a 
long  glass  of  champagne,  drank  a good  deal  before 
it  was  taken  from  him.  If  drunkenness  were  not  a 
loathsome  human  vice,  it  would  have  been  most 
amusing  to  see  it  burlesqued  by  this  ape.  He  tried 
to  seem  sober  and  to  sit  up,  but  could  not,  then 
staggered  to  a chair,  trying  hard  to  walk  steadily, 
and  nodding  his  head  with  a would-be  witty  but 
really  obfuscated  look ; then,  finding  that  he  could 
not  sit  up,  he  reached  a cushion  and  lay  down  very 
neatly,  resting  his  head  on  his  elbow  and  trying  to 
look  quite  reasonable,  but  not  succeeding,  and  then 
he  fell  asleep. 

After  tiffin  a Rajah  came  and  asked  me  to  go 
with  him  to  his  house,  and  we  walked  down  with 
his  train  of  followers  and  my  Malay  attendant.  It 


41 6 THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

was  a very  nice  house,  with  harmonious  coloring 
and  much  deep  shadow.  It  soon  filled  with  peo- 
ple. There  were  two  women,  but  not  having  an 
interpreter,  I could  not  tell  whether  they  were  the 
chief’s  wives  or  sisters.  He  showed  me  a number 
of  valuable  krises , spears  and  parangs , and  the 
ladies  brought  sherbet  and  sweetmeats,  and  they 
were  altogether  very  jolly,  and  made  me  pronounce 
the  Malay  names  of  things,  and  the  women  laughed 
heartily  when  I pronounced  them  badly.  They 
showed  me  some  fine  diamonds,  very  beautifully 
set  in  that  rich,  red  “ gold  of  Ophir  ” which  makes 
our  yellow  western  gold  look  like  a brazen  imita- 
tion, as  they  evidently  thought,  for  they  took  off 
my  opal  ring,  and  holding  the  gold  against  their 
own  ornaments,  made  gestures  of  disapproval.  I 
think  that  opals  were  new  to  them,  and  they  were 
evidently  delighted  with  their  changing  colors. 

Mussulman  law  is  very  stringent  as  to  some  of 
the  rights  of  wives.  In  Malay  marriage  contracts 
it  is  agreed  that  all  savings  and  “ effects  ” are  to  be 
the  property  of  husband  and  wife  equally,  and  are 
to  be  equally  divided  in  case  of  divorce.  A man 
who  insists  on  divorcing  his  wife  not  only  has  to 
give  her  half  his  effects,  but  to  repay  the  sum  paid 
as  the  marriage  portion.  It  appears  that  polygamy 
is  rare,  except  among  the  chiefs. 

Marriage  is  attended  with  elaborate  arrangements 
among  these  people,  and  the  female  friends  of  both 
parties  usually  make  the  “engagement,”  after  which 


THE  MARRIAGE  CEREMONY.  417 

the  bridegroom’s  friends  go  to  the  bride’s  father, 
talk  over  the  dowry,  make  presents,  and  pay  the 
marriage  expenses.  Commonly,  especially  among 
the  higher  classes,  the  bridegroom  does  not  see  the 
lady’s  face  until  the  marriage  day.  Marriage  is 
legalized  by  a religious  ceremony,  and  then  if  the 
wife  be  grown  up  her  husband  takes  her  to  his  own 
home.  Girls  are  married  at  fourteen  or  fifteen,  and 
although  large  families  are  rare,  they  look  old 
women  at  forty. 

On  the  day  before  the  marriage  expenses  are 
paid  by  the  bridegroom,  the  bride-elect  has  her 
teeth  filed.  It  is  this  process  which  gives  the 
Malay  women,  who  are  very  pretty  as  children, 
their  very  repulsive  look.  It  produces  much  the 
same  appearance  of  wreck  and  ruin  as  blackening 
the  teeth  does  in  Japan,  and  makes  a smile  a thing 
to  be  dreaded.  Young  girls  are  not  allowed  to 
chew  betel,  which  stains  badly,  and  have  white, 
pearly  teeth,  but  these  are  considered  like  the  teeth 
of  animals.  The  teeth  are  filed  down  to  a quarter 
of  their  natural  length  by  means  of  a hard  Suma- 
tran stone,  or  fine  steel  file.  The  operation  lasts 
about  an  hour,  and  the  gums  continue  swelled  and 
painful  for  some  days.  After  they  have  recovered, 
the  blackening  of  the  teeth  by  means  of  betel 
chewing  is  accelerated  by  means  of  a black  liquid 
obtained  by  burning  cocoa-nut  shells  on  iron. 
Three  days  before  the  marriage  ceremony  henna  is 
applied  to  the  nails  of  the  hands  and  feet,  and  also 


scend  from  mother  to  daughter,  and  both  bride  and 
bridegroom  are  covered  with  flowers,  jewels,  and 
gay  embroidery.  The  bride  sits  in  state  and  re- 
ceives the  congratulatory  visits  of  her  relatives  and 
friends,  and  after  the  actual  ceremony  is  over,  the 
newly-married  couple  sit  on  a seat  raised  above  the 
guests,  and  the  sirih  and  betel-nut  are  largely 


418  THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

to  the  palms  of  the  hands,  and  the  hair  is  cut  short 
over  the  forehead,  something  in  the  style  of  a 
“ Gainsborough  fringe.” 

The  wedding  feast  is  a very  grand  affair.  Goats 
and  buffaloes  are  killed,  and  the  friends  and  rela- 
tives of  the  bride  send  contributions  of  food.  The 
wedding  decorations  are  family  property,  and  de- 


MALAY  YOUTH  AND  MAIDEN. 


BIRTHDAY  CUSTOMS.  419 

chewed.  There  are  “ floral  decorations,”  music, 
and  feasting  ; all  strangers  are  made  welcome  ; the 
young  men  spend  the  afternooon  in  games,  among 
which  cock-fighting  usually  plays  a prominent  part, 
and  the  maidens  amuse  themselves  in  a part  of  the 
house  screened  off  from  the  rest  of  the  guests  by 
curtains,  and  made  very  gay. 

As  religious  ceremonies  attend  upon  marriage  and 
death,  so  on  the  birth  of  a child  the  father  puts  his 
mouth  to  the  ear  of  the  infant  and  solemnly  pro- 
nounces what  is  called  the  Azan  or  “■  Allah  Akbar,” 
the  name  of  the  one  God  being  the  first  sound 
which  is  allowed  to  fall  upon  his  ears  on  entering 
the  world,  as  it  is  the  last  sound  which  he  hears  on 
leaving  it.  There  is  a form  of  prayer  which  is  used 
at  births,  and  another  on  the  seventh  day  after- 
ward, when  the  child’s  head  is  shaved.  The  sage 
femme  remains  for  forty  days  with  the  mother,  who 
on  the  fortieth  day  makes  the  ceremonial  purifica- 
tions and  prayers  which  are  customary,  and  then 
returns  to  her  ordinary  duties.  The  child,  as  soon 
as  it  can  speak,  learns  to  recite  prayers  and  pas- 
sages from  the  Koran,  and  is  very  early  grounded 
in  the  distinctive  principles  of  Islam. 

The  children  of  both  sexes  are  very  pretty,  but 
with  strangers  they  are  very  shy  and  timid.  They 
look  very  innocent,  and  are  docile,  gentle  and  obe- 
dient, spending  much  of  their  time  in  taming  their 
pets  and  playing  with  them,  and  in  playing  games 
peculiar  to  their  age.  Except  in  one  or  two  cases 


420 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


in  Sungei  Ujong,  I have  not  seen  a child  with  eye 
or  skin  disease,  or  any  kind  of  deformity. 

There  have  been  Rajahs  all  day  in  the  veranda, 
and  their  followers  sitting  on  the  steps,  all  received 
by  Mr.  Low  with  quiet  courtesy,  and  regaled  with 
tea  or  coffee  and  cigarettes.  A short  time  a^o  the 
reigning  prince,  who  does  not  appear  to  be  a 
cypher,  came  with  a great  train  of  followers,  some 
of  them  only  wearing  sarongs , a grandson,  to  whom 
he  is  much  attached,  and  the  deposed  Sultan’s  two 
boys,  of  whom  I told  you  before.  They  are  in 
Malay  clothing,  and  seem  to  have  lost  their  vivacity, 
or  at  least  it  is  in  abeyance.  Before  I came  here, 
I understood  from  many  people  that  “ His  High- 
ness ” is  very  generally  detested.  So,  also,  says  Sir 
Benson  Maxwell  in  Our  Malay  Conquests.  Major 
M’Nair  in  his  amusing  book  on  Perak  says:  “ He 
is  a man  over  middle  age,  and  is  described  as  being 
of  considerable  ability,  feared  and  hated  by  many 
of  the  chiefs,  and  as  being  of  a fierce  and  cruel  dis- 
position, but  he  was  a proved  man  as  to  his  loyalty” 
(to  British  interests),  “and  there  being  no  desire 
on  the  part  of  the  Government  to  annex  the  State 
of  Perak,  his  appointment  was  the  wisest  course 
that,  under  the  circumstances,  could  be  pursued.” 
This  is  all  that  the  greatest  apologist  for  British 
proceedings  in  Perak  has  to  say. 

I was  not  prepossessed  in  his  favor  before  I came, 
for  among  other  stories  of  his  cruel  disposition,  I 
was  told  that  it  was  “ absolutely  true  ” that  three 


OFFICIAL  EXACTIONS.  42  I 

years  ago  he  poured  boiling  water  down  the  back 
of  a runaway  female  slave  who  had  been  recaptured, 
and  then  put  a red  ant’s  nest  upon  it.  If  “piracy” 
is  to  be  the  term  applied  to  levying  blackmail,  he 
was  certainly  a pirate,  for  he  exacted  a tenth  of  the 
cargo  of  every  boat  which  passed  up  his  river,  a 
Rajah  higher  up  doing  the  same  thing.  He  is  said 
to  have  a very  strong  character,  to  be  grasping, 
and  to  be  a “ brute  ; ” but  Mr.  Low  gets  on  very 
well  with  him  apparently.  He  is  an  elderly  man, 
wearing  a sort  of  fez  on  a shaven  head.  He  has  a 
gray  mustache.  His  brow  is  a fine  one,  and  his 
face  has  a look  of  force,  but  the  lower  part  of  it  is 
coarse  and  heavy.  He  was  fanning  himself  with 
his  fez,  and  when  I crossed  the  veranda  and  gave 
him  a fan,  he  accepted  it  without  the  slightest  ges- 
ture of  thanks,  as  if  I had  been  a slave.  When 
Mr.  Low  told  him  that  I had  been  at  Koto-lamah, 
he  said  that  the  chief  in  whose  house  I had  rested  de- 
served to  be  shot,  and  ought  to  be  shot ! He  and 
Mr.  Low  talked  business  for  an  hour  ; but  all  im- 
portant matters  are  transacted  in  what  is  called  a 
native  council. 

I wrote  that  I believed  myself  to  be  the  only 
European  in  Kwala  Kangsa,  but  I find  that  there 
was  another  at  the  time  when  I wrote  thus — a 
young  man  of  good  family,  who  came  out  here 
seeking  an  appointment.  He  was  sun-stricken  three 
days  ago,  and  violent  fever  and  delirium  set  in,  dur- 
ing the  height  of  which  he  overpowered  four  Sikhs 


422 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


who  were  taking  care  of  him,  rushed  out  of  doors, 
fell  down  exhausted,  was  carried  home,  and  died  at 
four  in  the  morning,  his  last  delirious  dreams  be- 
ing  of  gambling  and  losing  heavily. 

The  lamentable  burial  took  place  in  the  evening 
as  the  shadows  fell.  This  sums  up  the  story — a 
career  of  dissipation,  death  at  twenty-one,  a rough, 
oblong  box,  no  one  to  be  sorry.  It  made  my  heart 
ache  for  the  mother,  who  would  have  given  much 
to  be  where  I was,  and  see  “ the  dreary  death 
train  ” move  slowly  to  the  dreary  inclosure  on  a 
hill-top,  where  the  grass  grows  rank  and  very  green 
round  a number  of  white  wrooden  crosses,  which 
mark  the  graves  of  the  officers  and  soldiers  who 
fell  in  1876.  The  Union  Jack  was  thrown  over  the 
coffin,  which  was  carried  by  six  Sikhs,  and  Mr. 
Low,  Major  Swinburne,  Rajah  Dris  and  some  fol- 
lowers, and  Sultan  Abdullah’s  two  boys,  who  had 
nothing  better  to  do,  followed  it.  By  the  time  the 
grave  was  reached  torches  were  required,  and  the 
burial  service  was  read  from  my  prayer-book.  It 
was  all  sad  and  saddening. 

The  wreather  is  still  glorious,  the  winding  Perak 
still  mirrors  in  scarcely  rippled  blue  the  intensely 
blue  sky,  “ never  wind  blows  loudly,”  but  soft  airs 
rustle  the  trees.  One  could  not  lead  a more  trop- 
ical life  than  this,  with  apes  and  elephants  about 
one  under  the  cocoa-palms,  and  with  the  mercury 
ranging  from  8o°  to  90°  ! Gorgeous,  indeed,  are 
the  birds  and  butterflies  and  flowers ; but  often 


HABITS  OF  THE  APE. 


423 


when  the  erythrina  and  the  ponciana  regia  are 
strewing  the  ground  with  their  flaming  blossoms,  I 
think  with  a passionate  longing  of  the  fragile  Tricn- 
■ talis  Europce , of  crimson-tipped  lichens,  of  faint 
odors  of  half-hidden  primroses,  of  whiffs  of  honey 
and  heather  from  purple  moorlands,  and  of  all 
the  homely,  fragrant,  unobtrusive  flowers  that  are 
linked  with  you  ! I should  like  a chance  of  being 
“ cold  to  the  bone  ! ” 

I have  wasted  too  much  of  my  time  to-day  upon 
the  apes.  They  fascinate  me  more  daily.  They 
look  exactly  like  familiar  demons,  and  certainly 
anyone  having  them  about  him  two  hundred  years 
ago  would  have  been  burned  as  a wizard.  When 
Mr.  Low  walks  down  the  veranda,  these  two  fa- 
miliars walk  behind  him  with  a stealthy  tread.  He 
is  having  a business  conversation  just  now  with 
some  Rajahs,  whose  numerous  followers  are  stand- 
ing and  lying  about,  and  Eblis  is  sitting  on  his 
shoulder  with  one  arm  round  his  neck,  while  Mah- 
moud sits  on  the  table  opening  letters,  and  the  sia- 
mang,  sitting  on  the  rafter,  is  looking  down  with 
an  unpleasant  look.  Eblis  condescends  to  notice 
me  to-day,  and  occasionally  sits  on  my  shoulder 
murmuring  “ Ouf ! ouf ! ” the  sweet  sound  which 
means  all  varieties  of  affection  and  happiness. 
They  say  wall-wall  distinctly,  and  scream  with  rage 
like  children,  but  have  none  of  the  meaningless 
chatter  of  monkeys.  It  is  partly  their  silence  which 
makes  them  such  very  pleasant  companions.  At 


424  THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

sunrise,  however,  like  their  forest  brethren,  they 
hail  the  sun  for  some  minutes  with  a noise  which  1 
have  never  heard  them  make  again  during  the  day, 
loud  and  musical,  as  if  uttered  by  human  vocal  or- 
gans, very  clear  and  pleasant.  Doubtless  the  Ma- 
lays like  Mr.  Low  all  the  better  for  his  love  of 
pets. 

At  lunch  they  were  both,  as  usual,  sitting  at  the 
table.  I am  still  much  afraid  of  Mahmoud,  but 
Captain  Walker  is  infatuated  with  him,  and  likes 
his  rough,  jolly  manners,  and  his  love  of  fun  and 
rough  play.  As  Assam  was  bringing  me  a cup  of 
coffee  this  creature  put  out  his  long  arm,  and  with 
his  face  brimming  over  with  frolic,  threw  the  coffee 
over  the  mat.  Then  he  took  up  a long  glass  of 
beer  and  began  to  drink  it  eagerly,  but  as  Mr.  Low 
disapproved  of  his  being  allowed  to  get  tipsy  a 
second  time,  it  was  taken  from  him,  upon  which  he 
took  up  the  breast  of  a fricasseed  chicken  and 
threw  it  at  the  offender.  The  miscreant  did  every 
kind  of  ludicrous  thing,  finishing  by  pulling  every- 
one to  go  out  with  him,  as  he  always  does  at  that 
hour ; and  when  he  had  succeeded  in  getting  us 
all  out  was  in  a moment  at  the  top  of  a high  tree, 
leaping  from  branch  to  branch,  throwing  himself  on 
coffee  shrubs  below,  swinging  himself  up  again  in 
a flash,  leaping,  bounding,  a picture  of  agility, 
strength,  and  happiness.  The  usual  morning  gath- 
ering of  Rajahs  and  their  followers,  with  Klings 
and  Sikhs,  was  there,  and  I suspect  that  they 


APES  AS  FRUIT  GATHERERS. 


425 


thought  adult  Europeans  very  foolish  for  being 
amused  with  these  harum-scarum  antics. 

A follower  had  brought  a “ baboon,”  an  ape  or 
monkey  trained  to  gather  cocoa-nuts,  a hideous 
beast  on  very  long  legs  when  on  all  fours,  but  capa- 
ble of  walking  erect.  They  called  him  a “ dog-faced 
baboon,”  but  I think  they  were  wrong.  He  has  a 
short,  curved  tail,  sable-colored  fur  darkening  down 
his  back,  and  a most  repulsive,  treacherous,  and 
ferocious  countenance.  He  is  fierce,  but  likes  or 
at  all  events  obeys  his  owner,  who  held  him  with  a 
rope  fifty  feet  long.  At  present  he  is  only  half 
tame,  and  would  go  back  to  the  jungle  if  he  were 
liberated.  He  was  sent  up  a cocoa-nut  tree  which 
was  heavily  loaded  with  nuts  in  various  stages  of 
ripeness  and  unripeness,  going  up  in  surly  fashion, 
looking  round  at  intervals  and  shaking  his  chain 
angrily.  When  he  got  to  the  top  he  shook  the 
fronds  and  stalks,  but  no  nuts  fell,  and  he  chose  a 
ripe  one,  and  twisted  it  round  and  round  till  its 
tenacious  fibers  gave  way,  and  then  threw  it  down 
and  began  to  descend,  thinking  he  had  done  enough, 
but  on  being  spoken  to  he  went  to  work  again  with 
great  vigor,  picked  out  all  the  ripe  nuts  on  the  tree, 
twisted  them  all  off,  and  then  came  down  in  a 
thoroughly  bad,  sulky,  temper.  He  was  walking 
erect,  and  it  seemed  discourteous  not  to  go  and 
thank  him  for  all  his  hard  toil. 

As  I write  I see  a fascinating  sight  three  black 
apes  sitting  under  the  roof  in  such  a position  that 


426 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


I can  only  see  their  faces,  and  they  are  all  leaning 
their  chins  on  a beam,  and  with  their  wrinkled  faces 

and  gray  beards  are  looking  exactly  like . It 

is  most  interesting  to  be  among  wild  beasts,  which, 
though  tame,  or  partly  so,  are  not  in  captivity,  and 
to  see  their  great  sagacity  and  their  singular  like- 
ness and  unlikeness  to  us.  I could  dispense  with 
the  reptiles,  though.  Last  night  there  were  seven- 
teen lizards  in  my  room  and  two  in  my  slippers. 
During  the  profound  stillness  of  about  3 a.m.,  a 
crowd,  hooting,  yelling,  and  beating  clappers,  passed 
not  far  off  in  the  darkness,  and  there  was  a sound 
of  ravaging  and  rending  caused  by  a herd  of  ele- 
phants which  had  broken  into  the  banana  grounds. 

Besides  apes,  elephants,  dogs,  and  other  pets, 
there  are  some  fine  jungle-fowls,  a pheasant,  a “fire- 
back,”  I think,  and  an  argus  pheasant  of  glorious 
beauty  ; but  glorious  is  not  quite  the  word  either, 
for  the  hundred-eyed  feathers  of  its  tail  are  painted 
rather  in  browns  than  colors.  These  birds  are  under 
the  charge  of  a poor  Chinaman,  who  once  had 
money,  but  has  gone  to  complete  ruin  from  opium- 
smokinm  His  frame  is  reduced  to  a skeleton  cov- 
ered  with  skin.  I never  saw  such  emaciation  even 
in  an  advanced  stasrn  of  illness. 

just  now  I saw  Mahmoud  and  Eblis  walk  into  my 
room,  and  shortly  following  them,  I found  that 
Mahmoud  had  drawn  a pillow  to  the  foot  of  the 
bed,  and  was  lying  comfortably  with  his  head  upon 
it,  and  that  Eblis  was  lying  at  the  other  end.  I do 


THE  APE 'S  A VERSION  TO  MALA  YS. 


4 2 7 


hope  that  you  will  not  be  tired  of  the  apes.  To  me 
they  are  so  intensely  interesting  that  I cannot  help 
writing  about  them.  Eblis  has  been  feverish  for 


AN  OPIUM  WRECK. 


some  days.  I think  he  has  never  recovered  from 
the  thrashing  he  got  the  day  I came.  He  is  pining 
and  growing  very  weak  ; he  eats  nothing  but  little 
bits  of  banana,  and  Mr.  Low  thinks  he  is  sure  to 
die.  It  is  a curious  fact  that  these  apes,  which  are 
tamed  by  living  with  Europeans,  acquire  a great 
aversion  to  Malays. 

February  \ 9. — Eblis  became  much  worse  while  I 


428 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


was  out  yesterday,  and  I fear  will  surely  die.  He 
can  hardly  hold  anything  in  his  cold,  feeble  hands, 
and  eats  nothing.  He  has  a strangely  human,  far- 
away look,  just  what  one  sees  in  the  eyes  of  children 
who  have  nearly  done  with  this  world. 

The  heat  is  much  greater  to-day,  there  is  less 
breeze,  and  the  mercury  has  reached  90°,  but  in  the 
absence  of  mosquitoes,  and  with  pineapples  and 
bananas  always  at  hand,  one  gets  on  very  well. 
But  mosquitoes  do  embitter  existence  and  interfere 
with  work.  Apparently,  people  never  become  im- 
pervious to  the  poison,  as  I thought  they  did,  and 
there  is  not  a Malay  in  his  mat  hut,  or  a Chinese 
coolie  in  his  crowded  barrack,  who  has  not  his  mos- 
quito curtains  ; and  I have  already  mentioned  that 
the  Malays  light  fires  under  their  houses  to  smoke 
them  away.  Last  night  a malignant  and  hideous 
insect,  above  an  inch  long,  of  the  bug  species,  ap- 
peared. The  bite  of  this  is  as  severe  as  the  sting 
of  a hornet. 

The  jungle  seems  to  be  full  of  wild  beasts,  spe- 
cially tigers,  in  this  neighborhood,  and  the  rhinoce- 
ros is  not  uncommon.  Its  horn  is  worth  $15,  but 
Rajah  Muda  Yusuf,  who  desires  to  Jiave  a monop- 
oly of  them,  says  that  there  are  horns  with  certain 
peculiar  markings  which  can  be  sold  to  the  Chinese 
for  $500*  each,  to  be  powdered  and  used  as  medi- 
cine. Wild  elephants  are  abundant,  but,  like  the 

* It  is  possible  that  this  was  an  exaggeration,  and  that  the  real  price  is 
$50. 


ELEPHANT-HUNTING.  429 

rhinoceros,  they  ravage  the  deep  recesses  of  the 
jungle.  All  the  tame  elephants  here,  however, 
were  once  wild,  including  the  fifty  which,  with 
swords,  dragons,  bells,  /crises  with  gold  scabbards, 
and  a few  other  gold  articles,  formed  the  Perak  re- 
galia. The  herds  are  hunted  with  tame,  steady 
elephants,  and  on  a likely  one  being  singled  out,  he 
is  driven  by  slow  degrees  into  a strong  inclosure, 
and  there  attached  by  stout  rattan  ropes  to  an  ex- 
perienced old  elephant,  and  fed  on  meager  diet  for 
some  weeks,  varied  with  such  dainties  as  sugar-cane 
and  sweet  cakes.  The  captive  is  allowed  to  go  and 
bathe,  and  plaster  himself  with  mud,  all  the  while 
secured  to  his  tame  companion,  and  though  he 
makes  the  most  desperate  struggles  for  liberty,  he 
always  ends  by  giving  in,  and  being  led  back  to  his 
fastenings  in  the  corral.  At  times  a man  gets  upon 
him,  sits  on  his  head,  and  walks  upon  his  back.  It  is 
here  generally  about  two  years  before  an  elephant 
is  regarded  as  thoroughly  broken  in  and  to  be 
trusted  ; and,  as  elsewhere,  stories  are  told  of  ele- 
phant revenge  and  keepers  being  killed.  A full- 
grown  elephant  requires  about  200  lbs.  of  food  a 
day.  These  animals  are  destructive  to  the  cocoa- 
nut  trees,  and  when  they  get  an  opportunity  they 
put  their  heads  against  them,  and  then,  with  a 
queer  swaying  movement  throw  the  weight  of  their 
bodies  over  and  over  again  against  the  stem  till  the 
palm  comes  down  with  a crash,  and  the  dainty 
monster  regales  himself  with  the  blossoms  and  the 


430 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


nuts.  The  Malays  pet  and  caress  them,  and  talk  to 
them  as  they  do  to  their  buffaloes.  Half  a ton  is 
considered  a sufficient  load  for  a journey  if  it  be 
metal  or  anything  which  goes  into  small  compass, 
but  if  the  burden  be  bulky,  from  four  to  six  hundred 
weight  is  enough.  Except  where  there  are  rivers 
or  roads  suitable  for  bullock-carts  or  pack  bullocks, 
they  do  nearly  all  the  carrying  trade  of  Perak,  car- 
rying loads  on  “elephant  tracks”  through  the  jun- 
gle. An  elephant  always  puts  his  foot  into  the  hole 
which  another  elephant’s  foot  has  made,  so  that  a 
frequented  track  is  nothing  but  a series  of  pits  filled 
with  mud  and  water.  Trying  to  get  along  one  of 
these  I was  altogether  baffled,  for  it  had  no  verge. 
The  jungle  presented  an  impassable  wall  of  dense 
vegetation  on  either  side,  the  undergrowth  and 
trees  being  matted  together  by  the  stout,  intermi- 
nable strands  of  the  rattan  and  other  tenacious 
creepers,  including  a thorn-bearing  one,  known 
among  the  Malays  as  “tigers’  claws,”  from  the 
curved  hook  of  the  thorn.  I think  I made  my  way 
for  about  seven  feet.  This  was  a favorable  speci- 
men of  a jungle  track,  and  I now  understand  how 
the  Malays,  by  felling  two  or  three  trees,  so  that 
they  lay  across  similar  and  worse  roads,  were  able 
to  delay  the  British  troops  at  a given  spot  for  a day 
at  a time. 

One  might  think  that  elephants  roaming  at  large 
would  render  cultivation  impossible,  but  they  have 
the  greatest  horror  of  anything  that  looks  like  a 


MALA  Y IMMIGRA  TION. 


431 


fence,  and  though  they  are  almost  powerful  enough 
to  break  down  a strong  stockade,  a slight  fence  of 
reeds  usually  keeps  them  out  of  padi,  cane,  and 
maize  plantations. 

Malays  are  gradually  coming  into  Perak.  It  is 
said  that  there  has  been  recently  a large  immigra- 
from  Selangor.  The  Malay  population  is  fifty- 
seven  thousand  nearly,  with  a large  preponderance 
of  males,  but  fifty-eight  thousand  have  crowded 
into  the  little  strip  of  land  called  Province  Wellesley, 
which  is  altogether  under  British  rule,  and  sixty- 
seven  thousand  into  Malacca,  which  has  the  same 
advantage.  I suppose  that  slavery  and  polygamy 
have  had  something-  to  do  with  the  diminution  of 
the  population,  as  well  as  small-pox.  Formerly 
large  armies  of  fighting  men  could  be  raised  in  these 
States.  Islamism  is  always  antagonistic  to  national 
progress.  It  seems  to  petrify  or  congeal  national 
life,  placing  each  individual  in  the  position  of  a 
member  of  a pure  theocracy,  rather  than  in  that  of 
a patriotic  citizen  of  a country,  or  member  of  a 
nationality.  In  these  States  law,  government  and 
social  customs  have  no  existence  apart  from  reli- 
gion, and,  indeed,  they  grow  out  of  it. 

It  is  strange  that  a people  converted  from 
Arabia,  and  partly,  no  doubt,  civilized  both  from 
Arabia  and  Persia,  should  never  have  constructed 
anything  permanent.  If  they  were  swept  away  to- 
morrow not  a trace  of  them  except  their  metal 
work  would  be  to  be  found.  Civilized  as  they  are, 


43  2 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


they  don’t  leave  any  more  impress  on  the  country 
than  a Red  Indian  would.  They  have  not  been 
destroyed  by  great  wars,  or  great  pestilences,  or  the 
ravages  of  drink,  nor  can  it  be  said  that  they  perish 
mysteriously,  as  some  peoples  have  done,  by  con- 
tact with  Europeans;  yet  it  is  evident  that  the 
dwindling  process  has  been  going  on  for  several 
generations.  I.  L.  B. 


LETTER  XXI. 


Kwala  KangsA,  February  20. 

Yesterday  afternoon  I had  an  expedition  which  I 
liked  very  much,  though  it  ended  a little  awkwardly 
owing  to  a late  start.  Captain  W alker  was  going 
on  a shooting  excursion  to  a lotus  lake  at  some  dis- 
tance,  and  invited  me  to  join  him.  So  we  started 
after  tiffin  with  two  Malays,  crossed  the  Perak  in  a 
“ dug-out,”  and  walked  for  a mile  over  a sandy, 
grassy  shore,  which  there  lies  between  the  bright 
water  and  the  forest,  then  turned  into  the  jungle, 
and  waded  through  a stream  which  was  up  to  my 
knees  as  we  went,  and  up  to  my  waist  as  we  re- 
turned. Then  a tremendous  shower  came  on,  and 
we  were  asked  to  climb  into  a large  Malay  house, 
of  which  the  floor  was  a perilously  open  gridiron. 
At  least  three  families  were  in  it,  and  there  were 
some  very  big  men,  but  the  women  hid  themselves 
behind  a screen  of  matting.  It  looked  forlorn.  A 
young  baboon  was  chained  to  the  floor,  and  walked 
up  and  down  restlessly  like  a wild  beast  in  a me- 
nagerie; there  were  many  birds  in  cages,  and  under 
the  house  was  much  rubbish,  among  which  numer- 
ous fowls  were  picking.  There  was  much  fishing- 
tackle  on  the  walls,  both  men  and  women  being  ex- 

28  433 


434 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


cessively  fond  of  what  I suppose  may  be  called 
angling.  They  brought  us  young  cocoa-nuts,  and 
the  milk,  drank  as  it  always  ought  to  be,  through 
one  of  the  holes  in  the  nut,  was  absolutely  delicious. 

Where  the  Malays  are  not  sophisticated  enough 
to  have  glass  or  china,  they  use  dried  gourds  for 
drinking-vessels.  The  cocoa-nut  is  an  invaluable 
product  to  them.  Besides  furnishing  them  with  an 
incomparable  drink,  it  is  the  basis  of  the  curries  on 
which  they  live  so  much,  and  its  meat  and  milk 
enter  into  the  composition  of  their  sweet  dishes.  I 
went  to  see  the  women  behind  their  screen,  and 
found  one  of  them  engaged  in  making  a dish  which 
looked  like  something  which  we  used  to  call  sylla- 
bub. It  was  composed  of  remarkably  unbleached 
sago,  which  they  make  from  the  sago-palm,  boiled 
down  with  sugar  to  nearly  a jelly.  It  was  on  an 
earthenware  plate,  and  the  woman  who  was  pre- 
paring it  mixed  sugar  with  cocoa-nut  milk,  and 
whipping  it  with  a bunch  of  twigs  to  a slight  froth, 
poured  it  over  the  jelly. 

When  the  rain  ceased  we  got  through  the  timber 
belt  into  a forlorn  swamp  of  wet  padi,  where  the 
water  was  a foot  deep,  and  in  some  places  so  unin- 
telligibly hot  that  it  was  unpleasant  to  put  one’s 
feet  into  it.  It  was  truly  a dismal  swamp,  and 
looked  as  if  the  padi  were  coming  up  by  accident 
among  the  reeds  and  weeds.  Indeed,  I should 
have  thought  that  it  was  a rice  fallow,  but  for  a 
number  of  grotesque  scarecrows,  some  mere  bundles 


MALAY  LAND  CULTLVATTON. 


435 


of  tatters,  but  others  wearing  the  aspect  of  big 
birds,  big  dolls,  or  cats.  I could  not  think  how  it 
was  that  these  things  made  spasmodic  ierking 
movement,  as  there  was  not  a breath  of  air,  and 
they  were  all  soaked  by  the  shower,  till  I saw  that 
they  were  attached  by  long  strings  to  a little 
grass  hut  raised  on  poles,  in  which  a girl  or  boy  sat 
“bird-scaring.”  The  sparrows  rob  the  rice-fields, 
and  so  do  the  beautiful  padi-birds,  of  which  we  saw 
great  numbers. 

The  Malays  are  certainly  not  industrious ; they 
have  no  need  to  be  so,  and  their  cultivation  is  rude. 
They  plow  the  rice-land  with  a plow  consisting  of  a 
pole  eight  feet  long,  with  a fork  protruding  from 
one  end  to  act  as  a coulter,  and  a bar  of  wood 
inserted  over  this  at  an  oblique  angle  forms  a 
guiding  handle.  This  plow  is  drawn  by  the  great 
water  buffalo.  After  plowing,  the  clods  are  broken 
by  dragging  a heavy  beam  over  them,  and  are 
harrowed  by  means  of  a beam  set  with  iron  spikes 
The  women  do  the  sowing  and  planting.  The 
harvest  succeeds  the  planting  in  four  months.  The 
rice  ears  are  cut  short  off,  sometimes  by  a small 
sickle,  and  sometimes  by  an  instrument  which  pro- 
duces the  effect  of  shears.  Threshing  consists  in 
beating  the  ears  with  thick  sticks  to  loosen  the 
husks,  after  which  the  padi  is  carried  in  baskets  to 
platforms  ten  feet  above  the  ground,  and  is  allowed 
to  fall  on  mats,  when  the  chaff  is  driven  away  by  the 
wind.  It  is  husked  by  a pestle,  and  it  requires  some 


43^ 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


skill  to  avoid  crushing  the  grain.  All  these  opera- 
tions are  performed  by  women. 

The  Perak  Malays  don’t  like  working  for  other 
people,  but  some  of  them  cultivate  sugar-cane  and 
maize  for  sale.  Even  for  clearing  jungle-land  foreign 
labor  has  to  be  resorted  to. 

Ah,  that  swamp  is  a doleful  region  ! One  cannot 
tell  where  it  ends  and  where  the  jungle  begins,  and 
dark,  heavy,  ominous-looking  clouds  generally  con- 
cealed the  forest-covered  hills  which  are  not  far  off. 
I almost  felt  the  redundancy  of  vegetation  to  be 
oppressive,  and  the  redundancy  of  insect  and  rep- 
tile life  certainly  was  so  ; swarms  of  living  creatures 
leaped  in  and  out  of  the  water,  bigger  ones  hidden 
from  view  splashed  heavily,  and  a few  blackish, 
slug-like  looking  reptiles,  which  drew  blood,  and 
hung  on  for  an  hour  or  two,  attached  themselves 
to  my  ankles.  I was  amused  when  Captain  Walker 
congratulated  himself  on  the  absence  of  leeches, 
for  these  blood-suckers  were  at  least  their  next  of 
kin.  I fell  down  into  the  water  twice  from  the 
submerged  ridge  that  I tried  to  walk  upon,  but 
there  is  no  risk  of  cold  from  a hot  bath  in  a stove. 

Then  we  came  to  a smothered,  reedy,  ditch-like 
stream,  in  which  was  an  old  “ dug-out  ” half  full  of 
water,  in  which  we  managed  to  stow  ourselves,  and 
by  careful  balancing  contrived  to  keep  its  edges 
just  above  the  water.  Our  impeded  progress  down 
this  ditch  startled  myriads  of  whirring,  splashing 
creatures.  The  ditch  opened  into  a reedy  swamp 


A LONEL  Y SCENE. 


437 


where  hideous  pink  water  buffaloes  were  wallow- 
ing and  enjoying  themselves,  but  on  the  report  of  a 
gun  they  all  plunged  into  deep  water  and  swam 
away,  except  for  their  big  horns,  looking  more  like 
hippopotami  than  bovine  quadrupeds.  They  are 
nearly  as  ugly  as  a rhinoceros  ; all  albino  animals 
are  ugly,  and  when  these  are  wet  their  hides  are  a 
bright  salmon  pink. 

The  swamp  merged  itself  into  a lotus  lake,  cov- 
ered over  much  of  its  extent  with  thousands  of 
noble  leaves  and  rose-pink  blossoms.  It  seemed 
almost  sacrilege  to  tear  and  bruise  and  break  them 
and  push  rudely  through  them  in  our  canoe.  A 
sadder  and  lonelier  scene  could  not  be.  I have  sel- 
dom been  more  powerfully  affected  by  nature.  The 
lake  lying  in  hot  mist  under  dark  clouds,  with  the 
swamp  and  jungle  on  one  side  and  an  absolutely 
impenetrable  wall  of  entangled  trees  and  trailers  on 
the  other,  so  dense  and  matted  that  before  putting 
one’s  feet  on  shore  space  would  have  to  be  cut  for 
them  with  a parang , seemed  as  if  it  must  be  a hun- 
dred miles  from  the  abodes  of  men,  and  as  if  nobody 
had  ever  been  there  before  or  ever  would  be  there 
again.  The  heavy  mist  lifted,  showing  mountains, 
range  beyond  range,  forest-covered,  extending  back 
into  the  heart  of  the  peninsula ; and  though  the 
highest  may  be  under  five  thousand  feet  in  height, 
yet  from  their  shape,  and  from  rising  so  near  the 
sea-level,  and  from  the  woolly  mists  which  hung 
round  their  bases,  and  from  something  in  the  gray, 


43§ 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


sad  atmosphere,  they  looked  fully  ten  thousand 
feet  high. 

Captain  Walker  climbed  into  a low  tree  which 
overhung  the  lake  to  look  out  for  teal  and  widgeon, 
which  were  perfectly  innumerable,  while  the  Ma- 
lays, never  uttering  a word,  silently  poled  the  boat 
over  the  dreary  lake  in  the  dreary  evening  to  put 
up  the  birds.  There  they  went  high  over  our 
heads  in  long  flights,  and  every  time  there  was  the 
report  of  a gun  there  were  screams  and  shrieks  and 
squawks,  and  myriads  of  birds  rose  out  of  their 
reedy  covers,  and  fish  splashed,  and  the  smoke  lay 
heavily  on  the  water,  and  then  all  was  silent  again. 
Any  place  more  solitary  and  apparently  isolated 
could  not  be  imagined — it  was  a most  pathetic 
scene.  Hazy  visions  of  the  mere  near  which  King 
Arthur  lay  dying  came  before  my  eyes.  If  I had 
seen  the  solemn  boat  with  “ the  three  fair  queens,” 
in  “ robes  of  samite,  mystic,  wonderful,”  I should 
not  have  been  surprised,  nor  would  it  have  been 
odd  if  the  lake  had  changed  into  the  Styx,  across 
which  I was  being  ferried,  a cold,  colorless  shade. 
To  and  fro,  up  and  down,  we  poled  over  the  tragic 
waters  till  I actually  felt  a terror  far  beyond  eeriness 
taking  possession  of  me. 

It  grew  grayer  and  darker,  and  we  went  back  for 
Captain  Walker,  who,  with  the  absorption  of  a true 
sportsman,  had  hardly  noticed  the  falling  shadows. 
It  was  a relief  to  hear  the  human  voice  once  more. 
It  broke  the  worst  spell  I was  ever  bound  by.  As 


A DREARY  EVENING  JOURNEY.  439 

he  came  out  on  the  branch  to  get  into  the  canoe  it 
gave  way,  and  he  fell  into  the  water  up  to  his  chin. 
Then  the  boat  pole  broke,  so  that  when  we  got 
back  to  the  padi  it  was  obvious  that  “ the  dark  ” 
was  coming  “ at  one  stride,”  and  I suggested  that, 
as  we  had  two  miles  to  walk  and  a river  to  cross  at 
night,  and  we  should  certainly  be  very  late  for  din- 
ner ; Mr.  Low  might  become  uneasy  about  us,  as 
we  were  both  strangers  and  unable  to  speak  the 
language;  but  Captain  Walker  though  differently. 

There  had  been  so  much  rain  that  it  was  heavy 
wading  through  the  padi,  and  it  was  quite  dark 
when  we  reached  the  jungle,  in  which  the  rain  had 
made  the  footing  very  precarious,  and  in  darkness 
we  forded  the  swollen  stream,  and  stumbled  along 
the  shore  of  the  Perak,  where  fireflies  in  thousands 
were  flashing  among  the  bushes — a beautiful  sight. 
When  we  reached  the  bank  of  the  river  where  we 
had  left  the  canoe  we  found  several  Malays,  who 
laughed  and  seemed  singularly  pleased  to  see  us, 
and  talked  vociferously  to  our  men,  i.e.,  vociferously 
for  Malays,  who  are  in  the  habit  of  speaking  quietly. 
It  was  very  difficult  to  get  down  the  steep,  slippery 
bank,  into  a precarious  canoe  which  I could  not  see, 
and  so  thick  was  the  darkness  that  I sat  down  in 
the  water  between  the  two  gridirons,  and  had  to 
remain  there  during  the  crossing,  which  took  a long 
time,  being  against  the  stream. 

When  we  landed,  a Sikh  sergeant  met  us,  very 
much  excited.  He  spoke  Malayan,  and  I guessed 


440 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


from  a few  words  that  I knew  that  there  was  a hue 
and  cry  at  the  Residency.  You  know  how  all  pleas- 
ure is  at  once  spoiled  when,  after  you  have  been 
enjoying  yourself  very  much,  you  find  that  people 
at  home  have  been  restless  and  uneasy  about  you  ; 
and  as  it  is  one  of  my  traveling  principles  to  avoid 
being  a bother  to  people,  I was  very  sorry.  We 
found  a general  state  of  perturbation.  Major  Swin- 
burne, who  was  leaning  over  the  veranda,  received 
us  with  some  very  pungent  objurgations,  and  told 
us  that  Mr.  Low  was  out  and  very  anxious.  I was 
covered  with  mire,  and  wet  from  head  to  foot,  and 
disappeared,  but  when  we  sat  down  to  the  long- 
delayed  dinner  I saw  from  Mr.  Low’s  silence  and 
gloomy  manner  that  he  had  been  really  much  an- 
noyed ; however,  he  recovered  himself,  and  we  had 
a very  lively  evening  of  conversation  and  discus- 
sion, though  I had  a good  deal  of  pain  from  the 
inflamed  bites  of  the  bloodsuckers  in  the  swamp. 
Malay  scouting  parties  had  been  sent  in  various 
directions.  Rajah  Dris  was  away  with  one,  and 
the  Sikh  police  were  all  ready  to  do  nobody  knows 
what,  as  there  were  no  dogs.  Major  Swinburne 
said  that  his  fears  did  not  travel  farther  than  the 
river,  which  he  thinks  is  dangerous  to  cross  at  night 
in  a “dug  out  but  Mr.  Low  had  before  him  the 
possibility  of  our  having  been  assailed  by  bad  char- 
acters, or  of  our  having  encountered  a tiger  in  the 
jungle,  and  of  my  having  been  carried  off  from  my 
inability  to  climb  a tree  ! 


EBLIS  DYING. 


441 


Eblis  is  surely  dying.  He  went  to  the  roof,  where 
the  half-tamed  siamang  was  supporting  him  hour 
after  hour  as  gently  as  a mother  would  support  a 
sick  child.  This  wild  ape  has  been  very  gentle  and 
good  to  Eblis  ever  since  he  became  ill.  I went  out 
for  a short  time  with  Mr.  Low,  and  on  returning  he 
called  Eblis,  but  the  little  thing  was  too  weak  to 
come,  and  began  to  cry  feebly,  on  which  the  wild 
ape  took  him  by  one  of  his  hands,  put  an  arm  round 
him,  gently  led  him  to  a place  from  which  he  could 
drop  upon  Mr.  Low’s  chair,  and  then  darted  away, 
but  while  daylight  lasted  was  looking  anxiously  at 
Eblis,  and  at  6 a.m.  had  so  far  conquered  his  timid- 
ity that  he  sat  on  the  window-sill  behind  Mr.  Low, 
that  he  might  watch  his  sick  friend.  The  little  be- 
witching thing,  which  is  much  emaciated,  clings  to 
its  master  now  the  whole  time,  unlike  other  ani- 
mals, which  hide  themselves  when  they  are  ill,  puts 
out  its  feeble  little  arms  to  him  with  a look  of  un- 
speakable affection  on  its  poor,  pinched  face,  and 
murmurs  in  a feeble  voice  ouf  ! ouf  ! Mr.  Low 
pours  a few  drops  of  milk  down  its  throat  every 
half  hour,  and  if  he  puts  it  down  for  a moment,  it 
screams  like  a baby  and  stretches  out  its  thin  hands. 

It  is  very  interesting  and  pleasant  to  see  the  rela- 
tions which  exist  between  Mr.  Low  and  the  Malays. 
At  this  moment  three  Rajahs  are  lying  about  on  the 
veranda,  and  their  numerous  followers  are  clustered 
on  and  about  the  stairs.  He  never  raises  his  voice 
to  a native,  and  they  look  as  if  they  like  him,  and 


442  THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

from  their  laughter  and  cheeriness  they  must  be 
perfectly  at  ease  with  him.  He  is  altogether  de- 
voted to  the  interests  of  Perak,  and  fully  carries  out 
his  instructions,*  which  were,  “to  look  upon  Perak 
as  a native  State  ultimately  to  be  governed  by  na- 
tive Rajahs,”  whom  he  is  to  endeavor  to  educate 
and  advise  “without  interfering  with  the  religion 
or  custom  of  the  country.”  He  obviously  attempts 
to  train  and  educate  these  men  in  the  principles 
and  practice  of  good  government,  so  that  they  shall 
be  able  to  rule  firmly  and  justly.  Perak  is  likely 
to  become  the  most  important  State  of  the  Penin- 
sula, and  I earnestly  hope  that  Mr.  Low’s  wise  and 
patient  efforts  will  bring  forth  good  fruit,  at  all 
events  in  Rajah  Dris. 

Mr.  Low  is  only  a little  over  fifty  now,  and  when 
he  first  came  the  Rajahs  told  him  that  they  were 
“ glad  that  the  Oueen  had  sent  them  an  old  gentle- 
man !”  He  is  excessively  cautious,  and,  like  most 
people  who  have  had  dealings  with  Orientals,  is 
possibly  somewhat  suspicious,  but  his  caution  is 
combined  with  singular  kindness  of  heart,  and  an 
almost  faulty  generosity  regarding  his  own  con- 
cerns, as,  for  instance,  he  refuses  to  send  his  ser- 
vants to  prison  when  they  rob  him,  saying : “ Poor 
fellows.!  they  know  no  better.”  He  is  just  as 

patiently  forbearing  to  the  apes.  Mr.  told 

me  that  he  had  made  a very  clean  and  careful  copy 


* See  Appendix  A. 


LAST  NIG  NT  AT  KWALA  KANGSA. 


443 


of  a dispatch  to  Lord  Carnarvon,  when  Mahmoud 
dipped  his  fingers  in  the  ink  and  drew  them  over  a 
whole  page,  and  he  only  took  him  in  his  arms  and 
said  : “ Poor  creature,  you’ve  given  me  a great  deal 
of  trouble,  but  you  know  no  better.” 

This  is  my  last  evening  here,  and  I am  so  sorry. 
It  is  truly  “ the  wilds.”  There  is  rest.  Then  the 
apes  are  delightful  companions,  and  there  are  all 
sorts  of  beasts,  and  birds,  and  creeping  things,  from 
elephants  downward.  The  scenery  and  vegetation 
of  the  neighborhood  are  beautiful,  the  quiet  Malay 
life  which  passes  before  one  in  a series  of  pictures 
is  very  interesting,  and  the  sight  of  wise  and  right- 
eous rule  carried  on  before  one’s  eyes,  with  a total 
absence  of  humbug  and  red-tapeism,  and  which 
never  leaves  out  of  sight  the  training  of  the  Malays 
to  rule  themselves,  is  always  pleasing.  I like 
Kwala  Kangsa  better  than  any  place  that  I have 
been  at  in  Asia,  and  am  proportionately  sorrier  to 
leave  it.  Mr.  Low  would  have  sent  me  up  the 
Perak  in  the  Dragon  boat,  and  over  the  mountains 
into  Kinta  on  elephants,  if  I could  have  stayed  ; 
but  I cannot  live  longer  without  your  letters,  and 
they,  alas ! are  at  Colombo.  Mr.  Low  kindly  ex- 
presses regret  at  my  going,  and  says  he  has  got 
quite  used  to  my  being  here,  and  added:  “You 
never  speak  at  the  wrong  time.  When  men  are 
visiting  me  they  never  know  when  to  be  quiet,  but 
bother  one  in  the  middle  of  business.”  This  is 
most  amusing,  for  it  would  be  usually  said : “ W omen 


444 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


never  know  when  to  be  quiet.”  Mr.  Maxwell  one 
day  said,  that  when  men  were  with  him  he  could 
“get  nothing  done  for  their  clatter.”  I wished  to 
start  at  4 a.m.  to-morrow,  to  get  the  coolness  before 
sunrise,  but  there  are  so  many  tigers  about  just 
now  in  the  jungle  through  which  the  road  passes, 
that  it  is  not  considered  prudent  for  me  to  leave 
before  six,  when  they  will  have  retired  to  their 
lairs.  I.  L.  B. 


LETTER  XXII. 


British  Residency,  Taipeng,  February  21. 

I am  once  again  on  this  breezy  hill,  watching  the 
purple  cloud-shadows  sail  over  the  level  expanse  of 
tree-tops  and  mangroves,  having  accomplished  in 
about  four  hours  the  journey,  which  took  nearly 
twelve  in  going  up.  The  sun  was  not  up  when  I 
left  the  bungalow  at  Kwala  Kangsa  this  morning. 
I rode  a capital  pony,  on  Mr.  Low’s  English  sad- 
dle, a Malay  orderly  on  horseback  escorting  me, 
and  the  royal  elephant  carried  my  luggage.  It  was 
absurd  to  see  this  huge  beast  lie  down  merely  to 
receive  my  little  valise  and  canvas  roll,  with  a small 
accumulation  of  Malacca  canes,  mats,  /crises,  tigers’ 
teeth  and  claws,  and  an  elephant’s  tusk,  the  whole 
not  weighing  100  lbs. 

Mr.  Low  was  already  at  his  work,  writing  and 
nursing  Eblis  at  the  same  time,  the  wild  ape  sitting 
on  a beam  looking  on.  I left,  wishing  I were  com- 
ing instead  of  going,  and  had  a delightful  ride  of 
eighteen  miles.  The  little  horse  walked  very  fast 
and  cantered  easily.  How  peaceful  Perak  is  now, 
to  allow  of  a lady  riding  so  far  through  the  jungle 
with  only  an  unarmed  Malay  attendant ! Major 
M’Nair  writes  : “ The  ordinary  native  is  a simple, 

445 


446  the  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

courteous  being,  who  joins  with  an  intense  love  of 
liberty  a great  affection  for  his  simple  home  and 
its  belongings,”  and  I quite  believe  him.  Stories 
of  amok  running,  “piracies,”  treachery,  revenge, 
poisoned  /crises,  and  assassinations,  have  been  made 
very  much  of,  and  any  crime  or  slight  disturbance 
in  the  native  States  throws  the  Settlements  into  a 
panic.  It  must  have  been  under  the  influence  of 
one  of  these  that  such  a largm  sea  and  land  force 
was  sent  to  Perak  three  years  ago.  Crime  in  the 
Malay  districts  in  these  States  is  so  rare,  that  were 
it  not  for  the  Chinese,  a few  policemen  would  be 
all  the  force  that  would  be  needed.  The  “ village 
system,”  the  old  Malay  system  with  its  head  man 
and  village  officials,  though  formerly  abused,  seems 
under  the  new  regime  to  work  well,  and  by  it  the 
Malays  have  been  long  accustomed  to  a species  of 
self-government,  and  to  the  maintenance  of  law  and 
order.  I notice  that  all  the  European  officials  who 
speak  their  language  and  act  righteously  toward 
them  like  them  very  much,  and  this  says  much  in 
their  favor. 

I met  with  no  adventures  on  the  journey.  I had 
a delightful  canter  of  several  miles  before  the  sun 
was  above  the  tree-tops,  the  morning  mists,  rose- 
flushed,  rolled  grandly  away,  and  just  as  I reached 
the  beautiful  pass  of  Bukit  Berapit,  the  apes  were 
hooting  their  morning  hymn,  and  the  forests  rang 
with  the  joyous  trills  and  songs  of  birds.  “ All 
Thy  works  praise  Thee,  O Lord  ! ” 


BEAUTIFUL  INSECTS. 


447 


There  were  gorgeous  butterflies.  Among  them 
I noticed  one  with  the  upper  part  of  its  body  and 
the  upper  side  of  its  wings  of  jet  black  velvet,  and 
the  lower  half  of  its  body  and  the  under  side  of  its 
wings  of  peacock-blue  velvet,  spotted  ; another  of 
the  same  “ make,”  but  with  gold  instead  of  blue, 
and  a third  with  the  upper  part  of  the  body  and 
wings  of  black  velvet  with  cerise  spots,  the  lower 
part  of  the  body  cerise,  and  the  under  side  of  the 
wings  white  with  cerise  spots.  All  these  measured 
fully  five  inches  across  their  expanded  wings.  In 
one  opening  only  I counted  thirty-seven  varieties 
of  these  brilliant  creatures,  not  in  hundreds  but  in 
thousands,  mixed  up  with  blue  and  crimson  dragon- 
flies and  iridescent  flies,  all  joyous  in  the  sunshine. 

The  loud-tongued  stream  of  crystal  water  was 
very  full,  and  through  the  deep  greenery,  and 
among  the  great,  gray,  granite  bowlders,  it  flung  its 
broad  drifts  of  foam,  rejoicing  in  its  strength  ; and 
every  green  thing  leaned  lovingly  toward  it  or 
stooped  to  touch  it,  and  all  exquisite  things  which 
love  damp,  all  tender  mosses  and  selaginellas,  all 
shade-loving  ferns  and  aroids,  flourish  round  it  in 
perennial  beauty  ; while  high  above,  in  the  sun- 
shine, amid  birds  and  butterflies,  the  graceful 
areca  palm  struggles  with  the  feathery  bamboo  for 
precarious  root-hold  on  rocky  ledges,  and  spikes  of 
rose-crimson  blossoms,  and  dark  green  fronds  of 
bananas,  and  all  the  leafy  wealth  born  of  moisture 
and  sunshine,  cling  about  it  tenderly.  And  lower 


448 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


down  the  great  forest  trees  arch  over  it,  and  the 
sunbeams  trickle  through  them,  and  dance  in  many 
a quiet  pool,  turning  the  far-down  sands  to  gold, 
brightening  majestic  tree-ferns,  and  shining  on  the 
fragile  polypodium  tamariscinum  which  clings  trem- 
blingly to  the  branches  of  the  graceful  waringhan , 
on  a beautiful  lygodium  which  adorns  the  uncouth 
trunk  of  an  artocarpus,  on  glossy  ginger-worts  and 
trailing  yams,  on  climbers  and  epiphytes,  and  on 
gigantic  lianas  which,  climbing  to  the  tops  of  the 
tallest  trees,  descend  in  vast  festoons,  many  of 
them  with  orange  and  scarlet  flowers  and  fruitage, 
passing  from  tree  to  tree,  and  interlacing  the  forest 
with  a living  network,  while  selaginellas  and  lind- 
sayas,  and  film  ferns,  and  trichomanes  radicans drape 
the  rocks  in  feathery  green,  along  with  mosses 
scarcely  distinguishable  from  ferns.  Little  rivulets 
flash  out  in  foam  amon^  the  dark  foliage,  and  min- 
gle  their  musical  warble  with  the  deep  bass  of  the 
torrent,  and  there  are  twilight  depths  of  leafy  shade 
into  which  the  sunshine  never  penetrates,  damp  and 
cool,  in  which  the  music  of  the  water  is  all  too 
sweet,  and  the  loveliness  too  entrancing,  creating 
that  sadness  hardly  “ akin  to  pain  ” which  is  latent 
in  all  intense  enjoyment. 

Gunong  Pondok,  the  limestone  butte , twelve 
hundred  feet  in  nearly  perpendicular  height,  showed 
all  its  brilliancy  of  color,  and  Gunong  Bubu,  one 
of  the  highest  mountains  in  Perak,  reared  his  granite 
crest  above  the  forest.  The  lotus  lake  at  Bukit 


CHANGING  CONVEYANCES. 


449 


Gantang  was  infinitely  more  beautiful  than  under 
the  grayer  sky  of  Friday;  a thousand  rosy  vases 
were  drinking  in  the  sunshine,  and  ten  thousand 
classic  leaves  were  spreading  their  blue-green  shields 
below  them  ; all  nature  smiled  and  sang.  I was 
loath  to  exchange  my  good  horse  for  a gharrie,  with 
a Ivling  driver  draped  slightly  in  Turkey-red  cotton 
sitting  on  the  shafts,  who,  statuesque  as  he  was, 
had  a far  less  human  expression  than  Mahmoud 
and  Eblis.  In  the  noonday  the  indigo-colored 
Hijan  hills,  with  their  swollen  waterfall  coming 
down  in  a sheet  of  foam,  looked  cool,  but  as  we 
dashed  through  Taipeng  I felt  overpowered  once 
more  by  what  seems  the  “ wearing  world,”  after 
beautiful,  silent  Ivwala  Kangsa,  for  there  are  large 
shops  with  gaudy  sign-boards,  stalls  in  the  streets, 
tribal  halls,  buffalo-carts  with  buffaloes  yoked 
singly,  for  the  spread  of  their  huge  horns  is  so  great 
that  they  cannot  be  yoked  in  pairs;  trains  of  carts 
with  cinnamon-colored,  humped  bullocks  yoked  in 
pairs  standing  at  shop  doors,  gharries  with  fiery 
Sumatra  ponies  dashing  about,  crowds  of  Chinese 
coolies,  busy  and  half-naked,  filling  the  air  with  the 
din  of  their  ceaseless  industry,  and  all  the  epito- 
mized stir  of  a world  which  toils,  and  strives,  and 
thirsts  for  gain. 

But  I must  give  these  coolies  their  due,  for  in 
some  ways  they  show  more  self-respect  than  the 
ordinary  English  laborer,  inasmuch  as  in  bad  times 
they  don’t  become  chargeable  to  anyone,  and  when 

29 


450 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


the  price  of  the  commodity  which  they  produce 
falls,  as  that  of  tin  has  done,  instead  of  “striking” 
and  abusing  everybody  all  round,  they  accept  the 
situation,  keep  quiet,  live  more  frugally,  and  work 
for  lower  wages  till  things  mend.  But  I don’t  in- 
tend to  hold  up  the  Taipeng  Chinese  as  patterns 
of  the  virtues  in  other  respects,  for  they  are  not. 
They  are  turbulent ; and  crime,  growing  chiefly  out 
of  their  passion  for  gain,  is  very  rife  among  them. 
The  first  thing  I heard  on  arriving  here  was  that  a 
Chinese  gang  had  waylaid  a revenue  officer  in  one 
of  the  narrow  creeks,  and  that  his  hacked  and 
mutilated  body  had  drifted  down  to  Permatang  this 
morning. 

Mr.  Maxwell  tells  me  that,  as  he  returned  from 
escorting  me  to  Bukit  Gantang,  he  overtook  a 
gharrie  with  a Malay  woman  in  it,  and  dismounting 
joined  her  husband  who  was  walking,  but  did  not 
speak  to  the  woman.  To-day  the  man  told  him  that 
his  wife  woke  the  following  night  with  a scream 
which  was  succeeded  by  a trance  ; and  that,  know- 
ing that  a devil  had  entered  into  her,  he  sent  for  a 
pawan  (a  wise  man  or  sorcerer),  who  on  arriving 
asked  questions  of  the  bad  spirit,  who  answered 
with  the  woman’s  tongue.  “ How  did  you  come  ?” 
“ With  the  tuan ,”  i.  e.,  Mr.  Maxwell.  “ How  did 
you  come  with  him?”  “On  the  tail  of  his  gray 
horse.”  “ Where  from  ?”  “ Changat- Jering.” 

The  husband  said  that  these  Changat-Jering  devils 
were  very  bad  ones.  The  pawan  then  exorcised 


MALAY  SUPERSTITIONS. 


451 


the  devil,  and  burned  strong-smelling  drugs  under 
the  woman’s  nose,  after  which  he  came  out  of  her, 
and  she  fell  asleep,  the  “ wise  man  ” receiving  a fee. 

I never  heard  of  any  country  of  such  universal 
belief  in  devils,  familiars,  omens,  ghosts,  sorceries, 
and  witchcrafts.  The  Malays  have  many  queer 
notions  about  tigers,  and  usually  only  speak  of  them 
in  whispers,  because  they  think  that  certain  souls 
of  human  beings  who  have  departed  this  life  have 
taken  up  their  abode  in  these  beasts,  and  in  some 
places,  for  this  reason,  they  will  not  kill  a tiger 
unless  he  commits  some  specially  bad  aggression. 
They  also  believe  that  some  men  are  tigers  by  night 
and  men  by  day  ! 

The  pclisit,  the  bad  spirit  which  rode  on  the  tail 
of  Mr.  Maxwell’s  horse,  is  supposed  to  be  the  ghost 
of  a woman  who  has  died  in  childbirth.  In  the 
form  of  a large  bird  uttering  a harsh  cry,  it  is  be- 
lieved to  haunt  forests  and  burial-grounds  and  to 
afflict  children.  The  Malays  have  a bottle-imp,  the 
polong,  which  will  take  no  other  sustenance  than  the 
blood  of  its  owner,  but  it  rewards  him  by  aiding  him 
in  carrying  out  revengeful  purposes.  The  harmless 
owl  has  strange  superstitions  attaching  to  it,  and  is 
called  the  “specter  bird  you  may  remember  that 
the  fear  of  encountering  it  was  one  of  the  reasons 
why  the  Permatang  Pasir  men  would  not  go  with 
us  through  the  jungle  to  Rassa. 

A vile  fiend  called  the  penangcilan  takes  posses- 
sion of  the  forms  of  women,  turns  them  into  witches, 


452 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


and  compels  them  to  quit  the  greater  part  of  their 
bodies,  and  fly  away  by  night  to  gratify  a vampire 
craving  for  human  blood.  This  is  very  like  one  of 
the  ghoul  stories  in  \X\o.  Arabian  Nights  Entertain- 
ments. Then  they  have  a specter  huntsman  with 
demon  dogs  who  roams  the  forests,  and  a storm 
fiend  who  rides  the  whirlwind,  and  spirits  borrowed 
from  Persia  and  Arabia.  It  almost  seems  as  if  the  se- 
vere monotheism  to  which  they  have  been  converted 
compels  them  to  create  a gigantic  demonology. 

They  have  also  many  odd  but  harmless  super- 
stitions: For  instance,  that  certain  people  have 
the  power  of  making  themselves  invulnerable  by 
the  agency  of  spirits  ; that  the  regalia  of  the  States 
are  possessed  of  supernatural  powers ; that  the 
wearing  of  a tiger  claw  prevents  disease;  that  rude 
“Atolian  harps”  hung  up  in  trees  will  keep  the 
forest  goblins  from  being  troublesome  ; that  charms 
and  amulets  worn  or  placed  about  a house  ward  off 
many  evils  ; that  at  dangerous  rapids,  such  as  those 
of  Jerom  Pangong  on  the  Perak  river,  the  spirits 
must  be  propitiated  by  offerings  of  betel-nut  and 
bananas ; that  to  insure  good  luck  a betel-chewer 
must  invariably  spit  to  the  left ; that  it  is  unlucky 
either  to  repair  or  pull  down  a house  ; that  spirits 
can  be  propitiated  and  diseases  can  be  kept  away 
by  hanging  up  palm  leaves  and  cages  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  kampongs , and  many  others.  They  also 
believe  as  firmly  as  the  Chinese  do  in  auspicious 
and  inauspicious  days,  spells,  magic,  and  a species 


MALA  Y VENGEANCE. 


453 


of  astrology.  I hope  that  Mr.  Maxwell  will  pub- 
lish his  investigations  into  these  subjects. 

“Running  amuck  ” ( amok ) is  supposed  by  some 
to  be  the  result  of  “ possession  ; ” but  now,  at  least, 
it  is  comparatively  uncommon  in  these  States.  A 
Malay  is  on  some  points  excessively  sensitive  re- 
garding his  honor,  and  to  wipe  out  a stain  upon  it 
by  assassinating  the  offender  is  considered  as  cor- 
rect and  in  accordance  with  etiquette  as  duelling 
formerly  Avas  in  our  own  country.  In  cases,  how- 
e\mr,  in  which  the  offender  is  of  higher  rank  than 
the  injured  man,  the  latter  in  despair  sometimes  re- 
sorts to  opiun,  and,  rushing  forth  in  a frenzy,  slays 
all  he  can  lay  hands  upon.  This  indiscriminate 
slaying  is  the  amok  proper.  In  certain  cases,  such 
as  those  arising  out  of  jealousy,  the  desire  for  ven- 
geance gains  absolute  possession  of  a Malay.  Mr. 
Ne\\rbold  says  that  he  has  seen  letters  regarding  in- 
sults in  which  the  writers  say,  “ I ardently  long  for 
his  blood  to  clean  my  face,”  or  “ I ardently  long  for 
his  blood  to  wash  out  the  pollution  of  the  hog’s 
flesh  with  which  he  has  smeared  me  ! ” 

Considering  how  punctilious  and  courteous  the 
Malays  are,  how  rough  many  of  the  best  of  us  are, 
how  brutal  in  manner  many  of  us  are,  and  how 
inconsiderate  our  sailors  are  of  the  customs  of 
foreign  peoples,  especially  in  regard  to  the  seclu- 
sion of  their  women,  it  is  wonderful  that  bloody  re- 
venge is  not  more  common  than  it  is. 

u Amok"  means  a furious  and  reckless  onset. 


454 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


When  Mr.  Birch  was  murdered,  the  cry  “amok! 
amok!  ” was  raised,  and  the  passion  of  murder 
seized  on  all  present.  Only  about  a year  ago  one 
of  the  sons  of  the  Rajah  Muda  Yusuf,  a youth  of 
twenty,  was  suddenly  seized  with  this  monomania, 
drew  his  kris,  and  rushing  at  people  killed  six, 
wounded  two,  and  then  escaped  into  the  jungle. 
Major  M’Nair  says  that  a Malay,  in  speaking  of 
amok , says  : “ My  eyes  got  dark,  and  I ran  on.” 

In  Malacca  Captain  Shaw  told  me  that  “ running 
amuck”  was  formerly  very  common,  and  that  on 
an  expedition  he  made,  one  of  his  own  attend- 
ants was  suddenly  seized  with  the  “amok"  frenzy. 
He  mentioned  that  he  had  known  of  as  many  as 
forty  people  being  injured  by  a single  “amok  ” run- 
ner. When  the  cry  “amok!  amok!"  is  raised, 
people  fly  to  the  right  and  left  for  shelter,  for  after 
the  blinded  madman’s  kris  has  once  “ drank  blood,” 
his  fury  becomes  ungovernable,  his  sole  desire  is  to 
kill  ; he  strikes  here  and  there ; men  fall  along  his 
course  ; he  stabs  fugitives  in  the  back,  his  kris 
drips  blood,  he  rushes  on  yet  more  wildly,  blood 
and  murder  in  his  course  ; there  are  shrieks  and 
groans,  his  bloodshot  eyes  start  from  their  sock- 
ets, his  frenzy  gives  him  unnatural  strength  ; then 
all  of  a sudden  he  drops,  shot  through  the  heart, 
or  from  sudden  exhaustion,  clutching  his  bloody 
kris  even  in  the  act  of  rendering  up  his  life. 

As  his  desire  is  to  kill  everybody,  so,  as  he 
rushes  on,  everybody’s  desire  is  to  kill  him  ; and 


ORIGIN  OF  AMOK-RUNNING.  455 

gashed  from  behind  or  wounded  by  shots,  his  course 
is  often  red  with  his  own  blood.  Under  English 
rule  the  great  object  of  the  police  is  to  take  the 
“amok”  runner  alive,  and  have  him  tried  like  an 
ordinary  criminal  for  murder  ; and  if  he  can  be 
brought  to  bay,  as  he  sometimes  is,  they  succeed  in 
pinning  him  to  the  wall  by  means  of  such  a stout 
two-pronged  fork  as  I saw  kept  for  the  purpose  in 
Malacca.  Usually,  however  the  fate  of  the  “ amok” 
runner  is  a violent  death,  and  men  feel  no  more  scru- 
ple about  killing  him  in  his  frenzy  than  they  would 
about  killing  a man-eating-  tiger.  I hear  that  this 
form  of  frenzy  affects  the  Malays  of  all  the  islands 
of  the  Archipelago.  Some  people  attribute  it  to 
the  excessive  use  of  opium  by  unprepared  consti- 
tutions, and  others  to  monomania  arising  from  an 
unusual  form  of  digestive  disturbance  ; but  from  it 
being  peculiar  to  Malays,  I rather  incline  to  Major 
M’Nair’s  view:  “There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the 
amok  had  its  origin  in  the  deed  of  some  desperate 
Malay,  that  tradition  handed  it  down  to  his  highly- 
sensitive  successors,  and  the  example  was  followed 
and  continues  to  be  followed  as  the  right  thing  to 
do  by  those  who  are  excited  to  frenzy  by  appre- 
hension, or  by  some  injury  that  they  regard  as 
deadly,  and  only  to  be  washed  out  in  blood.” 

I have  been  interrupted  by  a visit  from  two  dis- 
consolate-looking Ceylon  planters,  who  have  come 
“ prospecting  ” for  coffee.  An  enterprising  son  of 
an  Edinburgh  “ Bailie  ” has  been  trying  coffee- 


456  THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 

planting  beyond  the  Perak,  but  he  has  got  into  dif- 
ficulties with  his  laborers,  and  is  “getting  out  of 
it.’’  This  difficulty  about  labor  will  possibly  have 
to  be  solved  by  the  introduction  of  coolies  from 
India,  for  the  Malays  won’t  work  except  for  them- 
selves ; and  the  Chinese  not  only  prefer  the  excite- 
ment of  mining,  and  the  evening  hubbub  of  the 
mining  towns,  but  in  lonely  places  they  are  not 
always  very  manageable  by  people  unused  to 
them. 

Even  for  clearing  the  jungle  foreign  labor  must 
be  employed.  Perak  is  a healthy  and  splendid 
State,  and  while  the  low  grounds  are  suited  for 
sugar,  tapioca,  and  tobacco,  the  slopes  of  the  hills 
will  produce  coffee,  cinchona,  vanilla,  tea,  cloves, 
and  nutmegs.  It  is  a land  of  promise,  but  at  pres- 
ent of  promise  only!  I understand  that  to  start  a 
plantation  a capital  of  from  ,£2,500  to  ,£3,500 
would  be  required.  Jungle  is  cleared  at  the  rate  of 
25s.  per  acre.  The  wages  of  Javanese  coolies  are 
is.  a day,  and  a hut  which  will  hold  fifty  of  them 
can  be  put  up  for  £5.  Land  can  be  had  for  three 
years  free  of  charge.  It  is  then  granted  in  perpe- 
tuity for  a dollar  an  acre,  and  there  is  a tax  of  214 
per  cent,  on  exported  produce.  These  arrange- 
ments are  not  regarded  as  altogether  satisfactory, 
and  will  probably  be  improved  upon.  Tell  some 
of  our  friends  who  have  sons  with  practical  good 
sense,  but  more  muscle  than  brains,  that  there  are 
openings  in  the  jungles  of  Perak  ! Good  sense, 


THE  CURSE  OF  SLAVERY. 


457 


perseverance,  steadiness,  and  a degree  of  knowledge 
of  planting,  are,  however,  preliminary  requisites. 

The  two  “prospectors  ” look  as  if  they  had  heard 
couleur  dc  rose  reports,  and  had  not  “struck  ile.” 
Possibly  they  expected  to  find  hotels  and  macadam- 
ized roads.  Roads  must  precede  planting,  I think, 
unless  there  are  available  lands  near  the  rivers. 

I have  mentioned  slavery  and  debt-slavery  more 
than  once.  The  latter  is  a great  curse  in  Perak, 
and  being  a part  of  “ Malay  custom  ” which  our 
treaties  bind  us  to  respect,  it  is  very  difficult  to 
deal  with.  In  the  little  States  of  Sungei  Ujong 
and  Selangor,  with  their  handful  of  Malays,  it  has 
been  abolished  with  comparative  ease.  In  Perak, 
with  its  comparatively  large  Malay  population, 
about  four  thousand  are  slaves,  and  the  case  seems 
full  of  complications. 

Undoubtedly  the  existence  of  slavery  has  been 
one  cause  of  the  decay  of  the  native  States,  and  of 
the  exodus  of  Malays  into  the  British  settlements. 
Some  people  palliate  the  system,  and  speak  of  it 
as  “a  mild  form  of  domestic  servitude;”  but  Mr. 
Birch,  the  late  murdered  Resident,  wrote  of  it  in 
these  strong  terms  : “ I believe  that  the  system  as 
practiced  in  Perak  at  the  present  time  involves 
evils  and  cruelties  which  are  unknown  to  any  but 
those  who  have  actually  lived  in  these  States.” 

Prom  the  moment  a man  or  woman  becomes  a 
debtor,  he  or  she,  if  unable  to  pay,  may  be  taken 
up  by  the  creditor,  and  may  be  treated  as  a slave, 


458 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


being  made  to  work  in  any  way  that  the  creditor 
chooses,  the  debtor’s  earnings  belonging  to  the 
creditor,  who  allows  no  credit  toward  the  reduc- 
tion of  the  debt.  To  make  the  hardship  greater, 
if  a relative  or  friend  comes  forward  to  pay  the 
debt,  the  creditor  has  the  right  to  refuse  payment, 
and  to  keep  his  slave,  whose  only  hope  of  bettering 
himself  is  in  getting  his  owner  to  accept  payment 
for  him  from  a third  party,  so  that  he  may  become 
the  slave  of  the  person  who  has  ransomed  him. 

But  there  are  worse  evils  still,  for  in  cases  where 
a married  man  contracts  a debt,  his  wife  and  exist- 
ing children,  those  who  may  hereafter  be  born,  and 
their  descendants,  pass  into  slavery  ; and  all,  male 
and  female,  are  compelled  as  slaves  to  work  for 
their  master,  who  in  very  many  cases  compels  the 
women  and  girls  to  live  a life  of  degradation  for  his 
benefit,  and  even  the  wives  of  a creditor  are  well 
satisfied  to  receive  the  earnings  of  these  poor  creat- 
ures. If  a debt  be  contracted  by  an  unmarried 
man  or  woman,  and  he  or  she  marry  afterwards,  the 
person  so  taken  in  marriage  and  all  the  offspring 
become  slave  debtors.  The  worst  features  of  the 
system  are  seen  where  a Rajah  is  the  creditor,  for 
he  is  the  last  man  to  be  willing  to  receive  payment 
of  a debt  and  free  the  debtor,  for  the  number  of 
his  followers,  even  if  they  are  but  women  and  girls, 
increases  his  consequence,  and  debtors  when  once 
taken  into  a Rajah’s  household  are  looked  upon  as 
being  as  much  a part  of  his  property  as  his  cattle 


CRUELTIES  TOWARD  DEBTORS. 


459 


or  elephants.  Mr.  Swettenham,  the  Assistant  Col- 
onial Secretary  of  the  Straits  Settlements,  writes 
that  “in  Perak  the  cruelties  exercised  toward 
debtors  are  even  exclaimed  at  by  Malays  in  the 
other  States.”*  In  Selangor,  where  it  is  said  that 
slavery  has  been  quietly  abolished,  only  five  years 
ago  the  second  son  of  that  quiet-looking  Abdul 
Samat  killed  three  slave  debtors  for  no  other 
reason  than  that  he  willed  it  ; and  wjien  two  girls 
and  a boy,  slave  debtors  of  the  Sultan’s,  ran  away, 
this  same  bloodthirsty  son  caught  them,  took  the 
boy  into  a field,  and  had  him  krissed.  His  wife, 
saying  she  was  going  to  bathe  in  the  Langat  river, 
told  the  two  girls  to  follow  her  to  a log  which  lay 
in  the  water  a few  yards  from  her  house,  where 
they  were  seized,  and  a boy  follower  of  her  husband 
took  them  successively  by  the  hair  and  held  their 
heads  under  the  water  with  his  foot  till  they  were 
dead,  when  their  corpses  were  left  upon  the  slimy 
bank.  The  Sultan,  to  do  him  justice,  was  very 
angry  when  his  son  went  to  him  and  said,  “ I have 
thrown  away  those  children  who  ran  away.” 

In  Perak  it  has  been  the  custom  to  hunt  and 
capture  the  Jakun  women  and  make  them  and 
their  children  slaves. 

Instances  of  cruelty  have  greatly  diminished 
since  British  influence  has  entered  Perak,  and  I 


* For  Mr.  Swettenham’s  Report  on  Slaver)’  in  the  Native  Stales,  see  Ap- 
pendix B. 


460 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


should  think  that  Mr.  Low  will  ere  long  mature  a 
scheme  for  the  emancipation  of  all  persons  held  in 
bondage.*  I heard  of  a curious  case  this  morning 
The  aunt  of  a Malay  policeman  in  Larut,  passing 
near  a village,  met  an  acquaintance,  and  taking  a 
stone  from  the  roadside  sat  down  upon  it  while 
she  stopped  to  talk,  and  on  getting  up  forgot  to  re- 
move it.  An  hour  later  a village  child  tripped  over 
the  stone  and  slightly  cut  its  forehead.  The  plac- 
ing the  stone  in  the  pathway  was  traced  to  the 
woman,  who  was  arrested  and  sentenced  to  pay  a 
fine  of  $25,  and  being  unable  to  pay  it  she  and  her 
children  became  slave-debtors  to  the  father  of  the 
child  which  had  been  hurt.  In  this  case,  though 
Captain  Speedy  lent  the  policeman  money  where- 
with to  pay  his  aunt’s  fine,  the  creditor  repeatedly 
refused  to  receive  it,  preferring  to  exercise  his  pre- 
rogative of  holding  the  family  as  his  rightful  slaves. 

Slavery  and  polygamy,  the  usual  accompaniments 
of  Islamism,  go  far  to  account  for  the  decay  of  these 
States. 

I wish  it  were  possible  to  know  to  what  extent 
the  Malays  are  a “religious”  people  as  Moslems. 
That  they  are  bigots  and  have  successfully  resisted 
all  attempts  to  convert  them  to  Christianity  there 
is  no  doubt,  as  well  as  that  they  are  ignorant  and 
grossly  superstitious.  Their  prayers,  so  far  as  I 
can  hear  anything  about  them,  consist  mainly  of 


* Such  a scheme  is  now  under  consideration.  See  Appendix  C. 


THE  PILGRIMAGE  TO  MECCA.  46 1 

reiterated  confessions  of  belief  in  the  Divine  unity, 
and  of  simple  appeals  for  mercy  now  and  at  the 
last  day. 

The  pilgrimage  to  Mecca  is  made  not  only  once, 
but  twice  and  thrice  by  those  who  can  afford  it,  and 
at  much  cost  earthen  jars  containing  water  from 
the  holy  well  of  Zem-zem,  the  well  said  to  have 
been  shown  to  Hagar  in  the  wilderness,  are  brought 
home  by  the  pilgrims  for  themselves  and  their 
friends  for  use  in  the  hour  of  death,  when  Eblis, 
the  devil,  is  supposed  to  stand  by  offering  a bowl 
of  the  purest  water  with  which  to  tempt  the  soul  to 
abjure  its  faith  in  the  unity  of  God.  One  of  the 
declarations  most  commonly  used  is,  “There  is  no 
God  but  God  alone,  whose  covenant  is  truth  and 
whose  servant  is  victorious.  There  is  no  God  but 
God  without  a partner.  His  is  the  kingdom,  to 
Him  be  praise,  and  He  over  all  things  is  Almighty.” 
There  is  a grand  ring  of  Old  Testament  truth  about 
these  words,  though  of  a melancholy  half  truth 
only. 

The  men  who  make  the  Mecca  pilgrimage  are  not 
regarded  by  the  English  who  know  them  as  a “holy 
lot”  ; in  fact,  they  are  said  to  lead  idle  lives,  and  to 
“live  like  leeches  on  the  toil  of  their  fellow-men,” 
inciting  the  people  “to  revolt  or  to  make  amok." 
Doubtless  it  adds  to  a man's  consequence  for  life 
to  be  privileged  to  wear  the  Arab  costume  and  to  be 
styled  Tuan  hadji.  Yet  they  may  have  been  stirred 
to  devotion  and  contrition  at  the  time  as  they 


462 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


circled  the  Kaabeh  reciting  such  special  prayers 
as,  “O  God,  I extend  my  hands  to  Thee,  great 
is  my  longing  towards  Thee.  Oh  accept  Thou  my 
supplications,  remove  my  hindrances,  pity  my  hu- 
miliation, and  mercifully  grant  me  Thy  pardon;” 
and  “O  my  God,  verily  I take  refuge  with  Thee 
from  idolatry,  and  disobedience,  and  every  hypoc- 
risy, and  from  evil  conversation,  and  evil  thoughts 
concerning  property,  and  children,  and  family ; ” or, 
“ O God,  I beg  of  Thee  that  faith  which  shall  not 
fall  away,  and  that  certainty  which  shall  not  perish, 
and  the  good  aid  of  Thy  prophet  Mohammed — may 
God  bless  and  preserve  him  ! O God , shade  me  with 
Thy  shadow  in  that  day  when  there  is  no  shade  but 
Thy  shadow,  and  cause  me  to  drink  from  the  cup 
of  Thy  apostle  Mohammed — may  God  bless  him 
and  preserve  him  ! that  pleasant  draught  after  which 
is  no  thirst  to  all  eternity.  O Lord  of  honor  and 
glory.”* 

As  I write  I look  down  upon  Taipeng  on  “a 
people  wholly  given  to  idolatry.”  This  is  emphati- 
cally “ The  dark  Peninsula,”  though  both  Protest- 
ants and  Romanists  have  made  attempts  to  win  the 
Malays  to  Christianity.  It  may  be  that  the  relent- 
less crusade  waged  by  the  Portuguese  against  I slam- 
ism  has  made  the  opposition  to  the  Cross  more 
sullen  and  bigoted  than  it  would  otherwise  have 


* I have  preferred  to  give,  instead  of  the  translation  of  these  prayers 
which  I obtained  in  Malacca,  oae  introduced  by  Canon  Tristram  into  a de- 
lightful paper  on  Mecca  in  the  Sunday  at  Home  for  February,  1883. 


MALA  V PRO  VERBS. 


4-63 


been.  Christian  missionary  effort  is  now  chiefly 
among  the  Chinese,  and  by  means  of  admirable 
girls’  schools  in  Singapore,  Malacca,  and  Pinang. 

In  Taipeng  five  dialects  of  Chinese  are  spoken, 
and  Chinamen  constantly  communicate  with  each 
other  in  Malay,  because  they  can’t  understand  each 
other’s  Chinese.  They  must  spend  large  sums  on 
opium,  for  the  right  to  sell  it  has  been  let  for 
^4,000  a year ! 

Mr.  Maxwell  tells  me  that  the  Malay  proverbs 
are  remarkably  numerous  and  interesting.  To  me 
the  interest  of  them  lies  chiefly  in  their  resemblance 
to  the  ideas  gathered  up  in  the  proverbs  of  our- 
selves and  the  Japanese.* 

Thus,  “Out  of  the  frying-pan  into  the  fire”  is, 
“ Freed  from  the  mouth  of  the  alligator  to  fall  into 
the  tiger’s  jaws.”  “ It’s  an  ill  wind  that  blows  no- 
body good,”  is,  “ When  the  junk  is  wrecked  the 
shark  gets  his  fill.”  “ The  creel  tells  the  basket  it  is 
coarsely  plaited”  is  equivalent  to  “The  kettle  call- 
ing the  pot  black.”  “ For  dread  of  the  ghost  to 
clasp  the  corpse,”  has  a grim  irony  about  it  that  I 
like. 

Certain  Scriptural  proverbial  phrases  have  their 
Malay  counterparts.  Thus,  the  impossibility  of  the 
Ethiopian  changing  his  skin  or  the  leopard  his 


* Mr.  Maxwell  has  since  published  a paper  on  Malay  proverbs  in  (he 
Transactions  of  the  Straits  branch  of  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society.  I have  not 
been  able  to  obtain  it,  but  I understand  that  it  contains  a very  copious  and 
valuable  collection  of  Malay  proverbial  philosophy. 


464 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


spots  is  represented  by  “ Though  you  may  feed  a 
jungle-fowl  off  a gold  plate,  it  will  make  for  the 
jungle  all  the  same.”  “ Casting  pearls  before  swine  ” 
by  “ What  is  the  use  of  the  peacock  strutting  in  the 
jungle?”  “ Can  these  stones  become  bread  ? ” by 
“ Can  the  earth  become  grain  ? ” “ Neither  can  salt 
water  yield  sweet,”  by  a very  elaborate  axiom, 
“You  may  plant  the  bitter  cucumber  in  abed  of 
sago,  manure  it  with  honey,  water  it  with  molasses, 
and  train  it  over  sugar  cane,  but  it  will  be  the  bitter 
cucumber  still,’’  and  “ Clear  water  cannot  be  drawn 
from  a muddy  fountain.” 

Some  of  their  sayings  are  characteristic.  In 
allusion  to  the  sport  of  cock-fighting,  a coward  is 
called  “a  duck  with  spurs.”  A treacherous  person 
is  said  to  “ sit  like  a cat,  but  leap  like  a tiger  ; ” and 
of  a chatterer  it  is  said,  “ The  tortoise  produces  a 
myriad  eggs  and  no  one  knows  it ; the  hen  lays  one 
and  tells  the  whole  word.”  “ Grinding  pepper  for  a 
bird  on  the  wing”  is  regarded  as  equivalent  to 
“ First  catch  you  hare  before  you  cook  it.”  “To 
plant  sugar-cane  on  the  lips  ” is  to  be  “ All  things 
to  all  men.”  Fatalism  is  expressed  by  a saying, 
“ Even  the  fish  which  inhabit  the  seventh  depth  of 
the  sea  sooner  or  later  enter  the  net.”  “ Now  it  is 
wet,  now  it  is  fine,”  is  a common  way  of  saying  that 
a day  of  revenge  is  not  far  off.  Secrecy  is  enjoined 
by  the  cynical  axiom,  “ If  you  have  rice,  hide  it 
under  the  unhusked  grain.”  “ The  last  degree  of 
stinginess  is  not  to  disturb  the  mildew,”  is  a neat 


MR.  MAXWELL  PROMOTED. 


465 


axiom ; and  “ The  plantain  does  not  bear  fruit 
twice,”  tells  that  the  Malays  have  an  inkling  that 
“ There  is  a tide  in  the  affairs  of  men,”  etc. 

I have  found  it  very  interesting  to  be  the  guest 
of  a man  who  studies  the  Malays  as  sympathetically 
as  Mr.  Maxwell  does.  I hope  he  will  not  get  pro- 
motion too  soon  !*  I.  L.  B, 


* As  I copy  this  letter  I hear  that  Mr.  Maxwell  has  been  removed  to  a 
higher  and  more  highly  paid  post,  but  that  he  leaves  the  Malays  with  very 
sincere  regret,  and  that  they  deeply  deplore  his  loss,  because  they  not  only 
liked  but  trusted  him.  During  the  time  in  which  he  was  Assistant  Resident, 
and  living  in  the  midst  of  a large  Chinese  population,  it  was  necessary  to  be 
very  firm,  and  at  times  almost  severely  firm,  but  the  Chinese  have  shown  their 
appreciation  of  official  rectitude  by  presenting  him  with  a gorgeous  umbrella 
of  red  silk,  embroidered  with  gold,  which  they  call  “A  ten-thousand-man 
umbrella,”  i.e.,  an  offering  from  a community  which  is  not  only  unanimous 
in  making  it,  but  counts  at  least  that  number  of  persons. 

30 


LETTER  XXIII. 


Mr.  Justice  Wood’s,  The  Peak, 
PlNANG,  February  24. 

However  kind  and  hospitable  people  are,  the 
process  of  “ breaking  in  ” to  conventionalities  again 
is  always  a severe  one,  and  I never  feel  well  except 
in  the  quiet  and  freedom  of  the  wilds,  though  in 
the  abstract  nothing  can  be  more  healthy  than  the 
climate  of  this  lofty  Peak.  The  mercury  has  been 
down  at  68°  for  two  nights,  and  blankets  have  been 
a comfort ! 

Shortly  after  finishing  my  last  letter  I left 
Taipeng  with  Mr.  Maxwell,  calling  on  our  way  to 
the  coast  at  Permatang,  to  inquire  if  there  were  any 
scent  of  the  murderers  of  the  revenue  officer,  but 
there  was  none.  The  inspector  said  that  he  had 
seen  many  murdered  bodies,  but  never  one  so 
frightfully  mutilated.  These  Chinese  “gang-mur- 
ders” are  nearly  always  committed  for  gain,  and 
the  Chinese  delight  in  cruel  hackings  and  purpose- 
less mutilations.  The  Malay  assassinations  are 
nearly  all  affairs  of  jealousy — a single  stab  and  no 
more. 

The  last  part  of  the  drive  on  a road  causewayed 
through  the  endless  mangrove  swamp  impresses 

466 


HONORS  TO  MAJOR  SWINBURNE.  467 

the  imagination  strongly  by  its  dolefulness.  Here 
are  hundreds  of  square  miles  all  along  the  coast 
nothing  but  swamp  and  slime,  loaded  with  rank  and 
useless  vegetation,  which  has  not  even  beauty  to 
justify  its  existence,  teeming  with  alligators,  ser- 
pents, and  other  vengeful  creatures.  There  is  a 
mournfulness  in  seeing  the  pointed  fruit  of  the 
mangrove  drop  down  through  the  still  air  into  the 
slime  beneath,  with  the  rootlet  already  formed  of 
that  which  never  fails  to  become  a tree. 

A Sikh  guard  of  honor  of  fifty  men  in  scarlet 
uniforms  lined  the  way  to  the  boat  as  a farewell  to 
Major  Swinburne,  whose  feet  they  had  embraced 
and  kissed  with  every  Oriental  demonstration  of 
woe  two  hours  before.  We  asked  him  what  his 
farewells  were,  and  he  says  that  he  said,  “You  are 
a lot  of  unmitigated  scoundrels  ; half  of  you  deserve 
hanging ; but  keep  out  of  scrapes  if  you  can  till  I 
come  back,  that  I may  have  the  pleasure  of  hang- 
ing you  myself.”  He  really  likes  them  though,  and 
called  after  Captain  Walker,  who  is  to  act  as  his 
substitute,  “ Now,  old  man,  don’t  knock  those  fel- 
lows about !”  The  chief  dread  of  the  “fellows”  is 
that  they  will  be  at  the  mercy  of  an  interpreter 
under  the  new  regime.  The  Malays  give  sobriquets 
to  all  Europeans,  founded  upon  their  physical  or 
mental  idiosyncrasies.  Thus  they  call  Major 
Swinburne  “The  Mad  One”  and  “The  Out- 
spoken One.”  Captain  Walker  they  have  already 
dubbed  “ The  Black  Panther.”  They  call  Mr. 


468 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


Maxwell  “ The  Cat-eyed  One,”  and  “ The  Tiger 
Cub.” 

Just  before  sailing  I had  the  satisfaction  of  get- 
ting this  telegram  from  Kwala  Kangsa ; “Eblis  is 
a little  better  this  morning.  He  has  eaten  two 
grasshoppers  and  has  taken  his  milk  without 
trouble,  but  he  is  very  weak.”  * 

We  embarked  at  5.30  p.m.  along  with  a swarm 
of  mosquitoes,  and  after  a beautiful  night  anchored 
at  Georgetown  at  2 a.m.,  but  it  was  a ludicrously 
uncomfortable  voyage.  An  English  would-be  lady, 
i.e.,  a “ fine  lady,”  a product  of  imperfect  civilization 
with  which  I have  little  sympathy,  had  demanded 
rather  than  asked  for  a passage  in  the  Kinta , and 
this  involved  not  only  a baby,  but  an  ayah  and 
man-servant.  The  little  cabin  of  the  launch  can 
hold  two  on  two  coaches,  but  the  lady,  after  appro- 
priating one,  filled  up  most  of  the  other  with  bags 
and  impedimenta  of  various  kinds.  The  floor  was 
covered  with  luggage,  among  which  the  ayah  and 
infant  slept,  and  the  man  sat  inside  on  the  lowest 
rung  of  the  ladder.  Thus  there  were  five  human 
beings,  a host  of  mosquitoes,  and  a lamp  in  the 
stifling  den,  in  which  the  mercury  stood  all  night  at 
88°.  Then  a whole  bottle  of  milk  was  spilt  and 
turned  sour,  a vial  of  brandy  was  broken  and  gave 
off  its  disgusting  fumes,  and  the  infant  screamed 


* Those  of  my  readers  who  have  become  interested  in  this  most  bewitch- 
ing ape  will  be  sorry  to  hear  that,  after  recovering  and  thriving  for  a con- 
siderable time,  he  died,  to  the  great  grief  of  his  friends 


IN  PROVINCE  WELLE  SLY. 


469 


with  a ferocious  persistency,  which  contrasted  with 
the  patient  wistfulness  of  the  sick  Eblis  and  his 
gentle  murmur  of  “ ouf ! ouf / ” Before  we  an- 
chored the  lady  asked  me  to  go  and  wake  the  gen- 
tlemen and  get  a teaspoonful  of  brandy  for  her, 
at  which  request,  though  made  with  all  due  gravity, 
they  laughed  so  tremendously  that  I was  hardly 
able  to  go  back  to  her  with  it.  Major  Swinburne, 
who  professes  to  be  a woman  and  child  hater,  was 
quite  irrepressible,  and  whenever  the  infant  cried 
outrageously,  called  to  his  servant,  “Wring  that 
brat’s  neck,”  the  servant,  of  course,  knowing  not  a 
word  of  English,  and  at  2 a.m.,  when  there  was 
chocolate  on  deck,  and  the  unfortunate  baby  was 
roaring  and  kicking,  he  called  down  to  me,  “ Will 
you  come  and  drink  some  chocolate  to  King  Herod’s 
memory?”  Mr.  Maxwell,  who  has  four  children, 
did  not  behave  much  better ; and  it  was  a great 
exertion  to  me,  by  over-done  courtesy  and  desper- 
ate attempts  at  conversation,  to  keep  the  mother 
as  far  as  possible  from  hearing  what  was  going  on  ! 

At  6 a.m.,  in  the  glory  of  the  tropic  sunrise,  Mr. 
Maxwell  and  I landed  in  Province  Wellesley,  under 
the  magnificent  casuarina  trees  which  droop  in 
mournful  grace  over  the  sandy  shore.  The  somber- 
ness of  the  interminable  groves  of  cocoa-palms  on  the 
one  side  of  the  Strait,  the  brightness  of  the  sun-kissed 
peaks  on  the  other,  and  the  deep  shadows  on  the 
amber  water,  were  all  beautiful.  Truly  in  the 
tropics  “the  outgoings  of  the  the  morning  rejoice.” 


470 


THE  GOLDEN  CHERSONESE. 


We  found  Mrs.  Isemonger  away,  no  one  knew 
where,  so  we  broke  open  the  tea-chest,  and  got 
some  breakfast,  at  the  end  of  which  she  returned, 
and  we  had  a very  pleasant  morning.  At  noon  a 
six-oared  gig,  which  was  the  last  of  the  “ Govern- 
ment facilities,”  took  us  over  to  Georgetown,  spend- 
ing an  hour  in  crossing  against  an  unfavorable  tide, 
under  a blazing  sun.  This  was  the  last  of  the 
Malay  Peninsula. 

AW.  Malwa,  February  25 — We  sailed  from 
Pinang  in  glorious  sunshine  at  an  early  hour  this 
afternoon,  and  have  exchanged  the  sparkling  calms 
of  the  Malacca  Straits  for  the  indolent  roll  of  the 
Bay  of  Bengal.  The  steamer’s  head  points  north- 
west. In  the  far  distance  the  hills  of  the  Peninsula 
lie  like  mists  upon  a reddening  sky.  My  tropic 
dream  is  fading  and  the  “ Golden  Chersonese  ” is 
already  a memory.  I.  L.  B. 


N A 


Unexplored.  Country 
inhabited  by  Sakei  and  SSmanJ, 


THE 

MALAY 

PENINSULA 


English  Miles 


PERAK 

English  Miles 


APPENDIX  A. 


RESIDENTS. 

A policy  of  advice,  and  that  alone,  was  contemplated  by  the 
Colonial  Office  ; but  without  its  orders  or  even  cognizance  affairs 
were  such  that  the  government  of  those  Malayan  States  to  which 
Residents  have  been  accredited  has  been  from  the  first  exercised 
by  the  Residents  themselves,  mainly  because  neither  in  Perak, 
Selangor,  or  Sungei  Ujong  has  there  ever  been  a ruler  powerful 
enough  to  carry  out  such  an  officer’s  advice,  the  Rajahs  and  other 
petty  chiefs  being  able  to  set  him  at  defiance.  Advice  would  be 
given  that  peace  and  order  should  be  preserved,  jus  ice  adminis- 
tered without  regard  to  the  rank  of  the  criminal,  the  collection  of 
revenue  placed  upon  a satisfactory  footing,  and  good  administra- 
tion generally  secured,  but  had  any  reigning  prince  attempted  to 
carry  out  these  recommendations  he  would  have  been  overborne 
by  the  Rajahs,  whose  revenues  depended  on  the  very  practices 
which  the  Resident  denounced,  and  by  the  piratical  bands  whose 
source  of  livelihood  was  the  weakness  and  mal-administration  of 
the  rulers.  The  Pangkor  Treaty  contained  the  words  that  the 
Resident’s  advice  “ must  be  acted  upon,"  and  consequently  the  Resi- 
dents have  taken  the  direction  of  public  affairs,  organizing  armed 
forces,  imposing  taxes,  taking  into  their  own  hands  the  collec- 
tion of  the  revenues,  receiving  all  complaints,  executing  justice, 
punishing  evil-doers,  apprehending  criminals,  and  repressing 
armed  gangs  of  robbers.  These  officers  are,  in  fact,  far  more  the 
agents  of  the  Governor  of  the  Straits  Settlements  than  the  advisers 
of  the  native  princes,  and  though  paid  out  of  native  revenues  are 
the  virtual  rulers  of  the  country  in  all  matters,  except  those  which 

- 47i 


472 


APPENDIX. 


relate  to  Malay  religion  and  custom.  As  stated  by  Lord  Carnar- 
von, “ Their  special  objects  should  be  the  maintenance  of  peace 
and  law,  the  initiation  of  a sound  system  of  taxation,  with  the 
consequent  development  of  the  general  resources  of  the  country, 
and  the  supervision  of  the  collection  of  the  revenue  so  as  to  in- 
sure the  receipt  of  funds  necessary  to  carry  out  the  principal  en- 
gagements of  the  Government,  and  to  pay  for  the  cost  of  British 
officers  and  whatever  establishments  may  be  found  necessary  to 
support  them.”  Lord  Carnarvon  in  the  same  dispatch  states  : 
“ Neither  annexation  nor  the  government  of  the  country  by  British 
officers  in  the  name  of  the  Sultan  [a  measure  very  little  removed 
from  annexation]  could  be  allowed;”  and  elsewhere  he  says; 
“ It  should  be  our  present  policy  to  find  and  train  up  some  chief 
or  chiefs  of  sufficient  capacity  and  enlightenment  to  appreciate  the 
advantages  of  a civilized  government,  and  to  render  some  effectual 
assistance  in  the  government  of  the  country.” 

The  treaty  of  Pangkor  provides  “ that  the  Resident’s  advice  must 
be  asked  and  acted  upon  (in  Perak)  on  all  questions  other  than 
those  relating  to  Malay  religion  and  custom,  and  that  the  collec- 
tion and  control  of  all  revenue  and  the  general  administration  of 
the  country  must  be  regulated  under  the  advice  of  these  Resi- 
dents.” It  was  on  the  same  terms  that  Residents  were  appointed 
at  Selangor  and  Sungei  Ujong. 

APPENDIX  B. 

SLAVERY  IN  THE  MALAY  STATES. 

Langat,  30/ A June,  1875. 

Sir— -When  on  board  the  Colonial  steamer  Pluto  last  week,  ac- 
companying His  Excellency  the  Governor  in  a tour  to  some  of  the 
native  States,  His  Excellency  made  inquiry  of  me  with  regard  to 
the  present  state  of  debt  slavery  in  the  Peninsula. 

This  was  a subject  so  large  and  important  as  hardly  to  admit  of 
thorough  explanation  in  a conversation  ; I therefore  asked  His 
Excellency’s  leave  to  report  upon  it. 


APPENDIX. 


473 


I now  beg  to  give  you  a detailed  account  of  the  circumstances 
of  debt-slavery  as  known  to  me  personally. 

In  treating  the  question  under  its  present  condition — I mean 
under  Malay  rule — it  is  necessary  to  consider  the  all-but  slavery  of 
the  debtors  and  the  difficulty  of  making  any  arrangement  between 
debtor  and  creditor  which  while  it  frees  the  one  will  satisfy  the 
other,  and  still  be  in  keeping  with  the  “adat  Malayu,”  as  in- 
terpreted in  these  States. 

The  relative  positions  of  debtor  and  creditor  in  the  Western 
States,  more  especially  in  Perak,  involve  evils  which  are,  I believe, 
quite  unknown  to  Europeans, even  those  living  so  near  as  Singapore. 

The  evils  to  which  I refer  have  hitherto  been  regarded  as  unavoida- 
ble, and  a part  of  the  ordinary  relations  between  Rajahs  and  subjects. 

I may  premise  by  saying  that  though  the  system  of  “ debt- 
slavery,”  as  it  has  been  called,  exists  to  some  extent  in  all  the 
States,  it  is  only  seen  in  its  worst  light  where  a Rajah  or  ghief  is 
the  creditor  and  a subject  the  debtor. 

Few  subjects  in  a Malay  country  are  well  off.  The  principal 
reason  of  this  is,  that  as  soon  as  a man  or  woman  is  known  to  be 
in  possession  of  money,  he  or  she  would  be  robbed  by  the  Rajah ; 
or  the  money  would  be  borrowed  with  no  intention  of  future  pay- 
ment, whether  the  subject  wished  to  lend  or  not. 

Thus,  when  a Ryot  (or  subject)  is  in  want  of  money,  he  goes 
to  his  Rajah  or  chief  to  lend  it  him,  because  he  alone  can  do  so. 
Either  money  or  goods  are  then  lent,  and  a certain  time  stipulated 
for  payment.  If  at  the  expiration  of  that  time  the  money  is  not 
paid,  it  is  usual  to  await  some  time  longer,  say  two  or  three,  or 
even  six  months. 

Should  payment  not  then  be  made,  the  debtor,  if  a single  man, 
is  taken  into  the  creditor’s  house  ; he  becomes  one  of  his  fol- 
lowers, and  is  bound  to  execute  any  order  or  do  any  work  the 
Rajah  as  creditor  may  demand,  until  the  debt  is  paid,  however 
long  a time  that  may  be. 

During  this  time  the  Rajah  usually  provides  the  debtor  with 
food  and  clothing,  but  if  the  creditor  gives  him  money,  that 
money  is  added  to  the  debt. 


474 


APPENDIX. 


Often,  however,  the  Rajah  gives  nothing,  and  the  debtor  has  to 
find  food  and  clothing  as  he  can. 

Should  the  debtor  marry — and  the  Rajah  will  in  all  probability 
find  him  a wife — then  the  debtor’s  wife,  his  children,  his  grand- 
children, all  become  equally  bound  with  himself  to  the  payment 
of  this  debt. 

Should  the  debtor  be  originally  married,  then  not  only  he,  but 
his  wife  and  children,  are  taken  into  the  Rajah’s  house,  and  are 
his  to  order  until  the  debt  is  paid. 

Should  the  debtor  be  a woman,  unmarried,  or  a widow,  the 
same  course  is  taken,  and  whoever  marries  her  becomes  jointly 
responsible  for  the  debt ; and  this  goes  on  through  generations — 
the  children  and  grandchildren  of  the  debtor  being  held  in  the 
same  bondage  by  the  children  and  grandchildren  of  the  creditor. 

Should  at  any  time  the  debtor  succeed  in  raising  the  amount  of 
the  debt  and  proffer  it  to  the  creditor,  then  it  would  be  customary 
to  accept  it.  If,  however,  a large  family  were  in  bondage  for  the 
debt,  one  whose  numbers  seemed  to  the  Rajah  to  add  to  his  dig- 
nity, then  he  would  probably  refuse  to  accept  payment,  not  abso- 
lutely, but  would  say  “wait,’’  and  the  waiting  might  last  for 
years. 

Debtors  once  absorbed  into  the  Rajah’s  household  are  looked 
upon  as  his  property,  just  as  his  bullocks  or  his  goats,  and  those 
who  alone  would  have  the  power  to  interfere  look  on  and  say 
nothing,  because  they  do  the  same  themselves. 

In  different  States  this  debtor-bondage  is  carried  to  greater  or 
less  extremities,  but  in  Perak  the  cruelties  exercised  toward  debtors 
are  even  exclaimed  against  by  Malays  in  other  States. 

Many  chiefs  in  Perak  have  a following  principally  composed 
of  young  men  and  girls,  for  the  most  part  debtors. 

The  men  are  treated  as  I have  already  described — either  food 
and  clothes  are  found  for  them  or  not  ; they  are  usually  found — 
for  the  Rajah’s  power  and  his  pride  consists  in  the  number  of 
arms-bearing  followers  he  has  at  his  beck  and  call  ; men,  too, 
are  useful  to  him  in  many  other  ways.  Those  who  have  grown 
old  in  their  bondage,  whether  men  or  women,  either  for  very 


APPENDIX.  475 

shame  the  Rajah  provides  for,  or  he  compels  their  children  to 
support  them. 

The  men  either  (i)  follow  because  they  like  it  (a  very  small 
percentage  indeed)  ; or  (2)  they  are  debtors,  or  the  children  of 
debtors;  or  (3)  they  are  real  slaves  from  Sumatra  or  Abyssinia, 
or  the  children  of  slaves. 

The  girls  are  treated  differently  ; they  are  (1)  either  slaves  or 
the  daughters  of  slaves  ; or  (2)  debtors,  the  daughters  or  grand- 
daughters of  debtors;  or  (3)  the  Rajah  has  simply  taken  them 
from  their  houses  into  his  own  house  because  he  wanted  them  ; 
or  (4)  they  follow  him  for  pleasure. 

In  Perak  some  of  the  chiefs  do  not  provide  their  girls  with  food 
or  clothing,  but  they  tell  them  to  get  these  necessaries  of  life  as 
best  they  can,  i.e.,  by  prostitution — for  the  labor  of  the  debtor 
being  the  property  of  the  creditor,  prostitution  is  in  this  case  a 
necessity  and  not  a choice. 

Each  Rajah  in  his  own  district  claims  the  privilege  of  fining, 
either  for  a capital  offence  or  for  a trifling  misdeed.  Should,  then, 
a min  be  fined  and  not  pay  the  fine,  he  and  his  family,  if  he  has 
one,  are  at  once  taken  into  this  debt-bondage,  not  to  work  out 
the  fine,  but  to  toil  away  their  lives  amid  blows  and  upbraidings 
— the  daughters  driven  to  prostitution,  the  sons  to  thieving,  and 
even  greater  crimes. 

This  is  no  exaggerated  statement,  but  the  plain  truth. 

When  the  Rajah  gives  nothing,  neither  food  nor  clothes,  or  when 
he  is  a passionate  man,  and  threatens  to  kill  one  or  other  of  his 
followers  for  some  trivial  offence,  or  for  no  offence  at  all,  it  often 
happens  that  one  will  seek  refuge  in  flight.  If  caught,  though,  it 
may  be  said  to  be  the  received  custom  to  inflict  only  some  slight 
punishment ; yet  that  would  not  deter  a Rajah  from  punishing  such 
an  offence  even  with  death  should  it  seem  good  to  him. 

Bond-debtors  are  handed  about  from  one  Rajah  to  another 
■without  a thought  of  consulting  them.  If  one  runs  away  and  is 
caught,  it  is  at  great  risk  of  being  put  to  death,  while  probably  no 
one  would  move  a finger  to  save  him.  his  master  excusing  himself 


476 


APPENDIX. 


on  the  plea  that  it  is  necessary  to  frighten  others  from  running 
away  also. 

These  Rajah-creditors  would  tell  you  smilingly  that  they  knew 
by  Mohammedan  law  the  creditors  can  take  and  sell  all  their 
debtor's  property  for  an  overdue  debt,  and  that  then  the  debtor  is 
free  ; but  they  never  act  on  that  principle. 

Many  men  and  women,  however,  daily  incur  debts,  knowing 
well  what  lies  before  them  in  case  of  non-payment. 

Malays,  by  their  laws,  are  allowed  to  buy  and  sell  slaves,  and 
if,  having  for  years  lost  sight  of  a slave,  the  owner  finds  him  or 
her,  he  takes  the  slave  with  his  wife  and  family,  if  he  has  one,  as 
his  lawful  property. 

There  is  one  other  phase  of  debtor-bondage,  and  that  a com- 
mon one,  where  the  father  or  mother  places  one  or  more  of  their 
own  children  as  security  with  the  creditor  for  a debt;  thus  in  re- 
ality selling  their  own  flesh  and  blood  into  often  a life-long  bond- 
age. If  these  children  die  on  the  creditor’s  hands,  the  parents 
supply  their  places  by  others,  or  the  Rajah,  should  he  wish  it,  can 
at  any  time  after  the  debt  is  due,  take  the  whole  family  into  his 
house. 

Only  the  other  day  a man  here,  for  a debt  of  $40,  placed  his 
daughter  in  a Rajah’s  hands  and  ran  away.  Probably  he  will 
never  return  ; meanwhile  the  girl  must  obey  her  master  in  all 
things  like  the  veriest  slave.  Such  a state  of  things  as  this  is  only 
brought  about  by  the  custom  which  allows  it. 

Another  common  practice  in  the  States,  more  especially  in 
Perak,  is  to  capture,  as  you  might  wild  beasts,  the  unoffending 
Jakun  women,  and  make  them  and  their  children  slaves  through 
generations. 

In  April  I was  in  Ulu  Selangor,  and  the  headmen  there  com- 
plained that  a chief  from  Slim  had  a fortnight  before  caught  14 
Jakuns  and  one  Malay  in  Ulu  Selangor,  had  chained  them  and 
driven  off  to  Slim.  Arrived  there,  the  Malay  was  liberated  and  he 
returned. 


APPENDIX. 


477 


Letters  were  written  to  Slim  and  Perak,  but  though  we  ascer- 
tained the  party  had  reached  Slim,  they  did  not  remain  there,  and 
they  have  not  yet  been  discovered. 

I have  already  stated  that  the  Rajah  looks  to  the  number  of  his 
following  as  the  gauge  of  his  power,  and  other  Rajahs  will  respect 
and  fear  him  accordingly.  Thus  he  tries  to  get  men  into  his 
service  in  this  way,  and  is  rather  inclined  to  refuse  payment  should 
the  debtor  be  so  fortunate  as  to  raise  the  requisite  amount  of  his 
debt. 

Almost  the  only  chance  the  debtor  has  of  raising  this  amount 
is  by  successful  gambling.  Of  course  it  hardly  ever  happens  that 
he  is  successful  ; but,  like  all  gamblers,  he  always  thinks  he  will 
be,  and  thus  gambling  becomes  a mania  with  him,  which  he  will 
gratify  at  all  costs,  caring  little  by  what  means  he  gets  money  for 
play  so  long  as  he  does  obtain  it. 

These  are  the  general  facts  relating  to  the  position  of  the  slave- 
debtor,  and  these  things  which  I have  described,  seemingly  so 
difficult  of  belief,  are  done  almost  daily  ; looked  upon  by  those 
who  do  them  as  a right  divine  ; by  the  victims  as  a fate  from  which 
there  is  no  reprieve. 

To  compel  his  followers  to  obey  him  implicitly,  the  Rajah  treats 
them  with  a severity  which  sometimes  makes  death  the  punish- 
ment of  the  slightest  offence  to  him.  These  followers  he  thus 
holds  to  do  whatever  he  bids  them,  even  to  the  commission  of  the 
gravest  crimes. 

They  again,  having  to  provide  themselves  with  food  and  clothes, 
and  yet  having  to  work  for  him,  are  led  to  prey  on  the  defenceless 
population,  from  whom,  in  the  name  of  their  Rajah-master,  they 
extort  whatever  there  is  to  get,  and  on  whom  they  sometimes  visit 
those  cruelties  which  they  have  themselves  already  experienced. 

This  system  of  debtor  bondage  influences,  then,  the  whole  popu- 
lation, not  slightly  but  deeply,  in  ways  it  is  hardly  possible  to 
credit  except  when  seen  in  a constant  intercourse  with  all  classes 
of  Malay  society. 

The  question  at  issue  seems  to  be,  how  to  deprive  the  Rajah  of 
this  great  power — an  unscrupulous  instrument  in  unscrupulous 


478 


APPENDIX. 


hands — how  to  free  the  debtors  from  their  bondage,  the  women 
from  lives  of  forced  prostitution,  the  unoffending  population  from 
the  robberies  and  murderous  freaks  of  Rajahs  and  their  bonds- 
men.* 

In  Perak  it  is  different ; the  debtor-bondage  is  one  of  the  chief 
customs — one  of  the  “pillars  of  the  State” — an  abuse  jealously 
guarded  by  the  Perak  Rajahs  and  Chiefs,  and  especially  by  those 
who  make  the  worst  uses  of  it. 

I have  often  discussed  this  question  of  debt-slavery  with  the 
Malays  themselves,  but  they  say  they  see  no  way  under  the  rule  of 
their  Rajahs  to  put  down  this  curse  of  their  country,  with  all  the 
evils  that  follow  in  its  train.  I have,  etc. 

(Signed)  FRANK  A.  SWETTENHAM, 

(Now  Asst.  Colonial 
Secretary  at  Singapore.) 

The  Honorable 

The  Secretary  for  Native  States, 

Singapore,  Straits  Settlements. 

APPENDIX  C. 

No.  I. 

From  H.B.M.’s  Resident,  Perak,  to  Colonial  Secretary, 
Straits  Settlements. 

Residency,  Kwala  Kangsa, 
December  14,  1878. 

Sir — In  reference  to  your  letter  of  the  28th  June  last,  directing, 
by  command  of  His  Excellency  the  Governor,  my  particular  atten- 
tion to  the  p’an  adopted  in  Selangor  for  the  extinction  of  the 
claims  against  slave-debtors,  by  a valuation  of  their  services  to  their 
creditors  according  to  a fixed  scab,  and  directing  me  to  consider 
whether  a similar  scheme  might  not  now  be  prepared  for  reference 

* Some  of  these  remarks  apply  specially  to  Selangor,  in  which  State  slavery 
is  now  abolished.  I.  L.  B. 


APPENDIX. 


479 


to  His  Excellency  with  a view  to  its  being  afterward  submitted  for 
the  consideration  of  the  Council  of  State: 

1.  I have  the  honor  to  state  in  reply  that  a copy  of  that  letter 
and  its  inclosure  was  supplied  to  the  Assistant  Resident  of  Perak, 
and  its  contents  communicated  to  the  other  magistrates,  with  in- 
structions on  all  occasions  in  which  such  cases  should  be  brought 
before  them,  to  endeavor,  with  the  consent  of  the  creditors,  to  come 
to  a settlement  on  such  a basis. 

2.  The  Toh  Puan  Halimah,  daughter  of  the  exiled  Laxamana 
of  Perak,  and  chief  wife  of  the  banished  Mentri  of  the  State,  had 
invested  most  of  her  private  money  in  advances  of  this  description, 
which,  up  to  the  time  of  British  interference,  was  the  favorite  form 
of  security,  and  she  is  now  the  largest  claimant  in  the  country  for 
the  repayment  of  her  money.  Another,  Wan  Teh  Sapiah,  has  also 
claims  of  a like  nature  on  several  families,  and  both  these  ladies 
willingly  undertook  to  accept  of  liquidation  by  such  an  arrange- 
ment. 

3.  In  the  former  case  it  has,  I am  sorry  to  say,  fallen  through, 
from  the  impossibility  of  inducing  the  debtors  to  work  regularly, 
and  from  very  many  of  them,  who  are  living  in  entire  freedom  in 
different  parts  of  the  country,  declining  to  come  into  the  arrange- 
ment, though  acknowledging  their  debts. 

4.  In  many  other  cases  the  creditors  from  the  first  put  forward 
the  certainty  of  the  failure  of  such  a system  from  the  above-men- 
tioned cause  ; others  have  objected  that  they  had  no  regular  employ- 
ment in  which  to  place  their  debtors  ; others,  that  they  are  utterly 
ruined  by  the  events  of  recent  years,  and  that  they  would  accede  to 
the  proposal  if  fairly  carried  out  on  the  other  part,  provided  the 
Government  would  advance  money  as  the  native  Rajahs  did  to 
enable  them  to  open  mines  or  gardens  in  which  they  could  employ 
their  debtors  ; nearly  all  have  declared  themselves  willing,  and  even 
anxious,  to  accept  a just  amount  in  payment  of  their  debts,  several 
suggesting  that  the  State  might  conveniently  undertake  to  do  this, 
employing  the  labor  in  public  works  until  the  debtor  should  be 
free. 

5.  I cannot  undertake  to  say  what  may  have  been  the  practice 


480 


APPENDIX. 


in  former  times,  as  to  the  treatment,  in  Perak,  of  this  class  of  per- 
sons; but  no  cas  eof  cruelty  or  any  great  hardship  has  been  brought 
to  my  notice  since  I came  into  the  country.  By  far  the  larger 
number  of  the  slave-debtors  live  with  their  families  apart  and  often 
at  great  distances  from  their  masters,  enjoying  all  the  fruits  of 
their  labor,  rendering  occasional  assistance  to  them  when  called 
upon  to  do  so,  which,  in  the  majority  of  cases,  is  of  rare  oc- 
currence. 

6.  The  circumstances  of  Perak  would  probably  be  found  to  dif- 
fer from  those  of  Selangor,  which  I understand  has  a much  smaller 
population  ; was  governed  by  an  enlightened  ruler  under  the  ad- 
vice of  British  Residents,  who  succeeded  in  introducing  the  present 
regulation  immediately  after  the  conquest  of  the  district. 

7.  To  introduce  such  a measure  into  Perak  at  the  present  time 
would,  in  my  opinion,  have  a very  disturbing  effect,  and  although 
I do  not  think  that  it  would  lead  to  any  extensive  or  organized 
armed  resistance,  I am  sure  that  it  would  so  shake  the  confidence 
which  has  arisen  between  the  European  officers  and  principal  peo- 
ple that  years  would  be  required  to  restore  it. 

8.  I confess  that  I am  not  able  to  devote  all  my  sympathy  to  the 
weaker  class  in  this  question.  I concur  with  the  principal  natives 
that  the  introduction  of  a measure  which  formed  no  part  of  the 
original  contract  would  practically  amount  to  a confiscation  of  their 
property,  the  value  of  the  labor  of  this  class  of  persons  being  scarcely 
more  than  nominal ; and  I adhere  to  the  opinion  that  the  just  and 
politic  course  is,  as  has  been  done,  to  prohibit  any  extension  or 
renewal  of  the  practice  either  of  slave  indebtedness  or  slavery  ; to 
secure  good  treatment  for  the  servile  classes  under  penalty  of  en- 
forced manumission  ; to  reduce  claims  when  they  come  before  the 
magistrates  to  the  minimum  which  justice  to  the  creditor  will  per- 
mit; to  await  the  increased  means  of  freeing  themselves  which  must 
develop  for  the  poorer  classes  upon  the  extensive  introduction  of 
European  capital  into  agricultural  industries  ; and,  finally,  to  pur- 
chase at  a rate  which,  in  consequence  of  the  notorious  discourage- 
ment with  which  every  case  is  treated  by  the  European  officers  and 
the  courts,  and  the  pressure  of  other  influences,  will,  in  time,  be 


APPENDIX.  481 

much  diminished  from  what  would  probably  be  considered  a fair 
equivalent.  I have,  etc., 

(Signed)  HUGH  LOW,  Resident. 

The  Hon.  the  Colonial  Secretary,  Straits 
Settlements,  Singapore. 

No.  II. 

From  H.B.M.’s  Resident,  Perak,  to  the  Honorable  the 
Colonial  Secretary. 

Teluk  Anson,  April  26,  1882. 

Sir — I have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your 
letter  of  the  14th  instant,  calling  upon  me  for  information  as  to 
the  progress  made  toward  the  extinction  of  debt  slavery  in  this 
State  since  1879,  for  transmission  to  Her  Majesty’s  Secretary  of 
State. 

2.  In  reply  I have  the  honor  to  report  that  the  policy  explained 
in  my  letters  to  your  predecessor,  dated  28th  May  and  14th  De- 
cember, 1878,  has  been  steadily  pursued  in  Perak  ; all  slave 
debtors  who  have  appealed  to  the  protection  of  the  courts  having 
their  cases  adjudicated  upon  on  the  most  liberal  terms  consistent 
with  justice  to  the  creditors,  and  a considerable  number  have 
availed  themselves  of  the  facilities  presented  to  them  and  bought 
up  the  claims  upon  them. 

3.  Further  and  more  intimate  knowledge  of  the  people  has 
confirmed  the  impression  that  whatever  may  have  been  the  case  in 
former  times,  cruelty  to  slaves  or  slave  debtors  has  been  very  rare 
since  the  establishment  of  settled  government,  and  in  every  instance 
in  which  such  has  come  to  my  knowledge  or  to  that  of  the  British 
officers,  manumission  without  compensation  was  carried  out. 

4.  Three  such  cases  have  occurred  in  the  families  of  two  very 
high  officers  of  State,  and  these,  with  one  other  case,  are  all  the 
instances  of  cruelty  which  have  been  reported  to  me. 

5.  An  attempt  was  made  in  1879  to  procure  a census  of  the 
population  through  the  chiefs  of  the  village  communities.  Each 
of  these  chiefs  recorded  the  name  of  every  householder  in  his 

3i 


482 


APPENDIX. 


district  with  the  number  of  persons,  distinguishing  their  sex  and 
condition. 

6.  A total  of  47,359  is  thus  arrived  at  for  the  free  native  Malay 
population.  Of  these  14,875  were  males  above,  and  9,313  below, 
16  years  of  age.  The  females  numbered  14,761  and  8,410. 

7.  The  number  of  slaves  was  returned  as  1,670,  of  whom  775 
were  males  and  895  females.  The  slave  debtors  were  respectively 
728  and  652,  giving  a total  of  1,380  ; the  two  servile  classes 
numbering,  of  both  sexes,  3,050.  I fear,  however,  that  these 
numbers  do  not  include  all  the  bond  population,  as  His  Highness 
the  Regent  and  one  or  two  others  with  extensive  claims  did  not 
give  in  returns. 

8.  I regret  to  state  that  the  attempt  which,  as  reported  in  my 
letter  of  the  14th  December,  was  liberally  made  by  the  Toh  Puan 
Halimah,  chief  wife  of  the  ex-Mentri  of  Perak,  to  facilitate  the 
manumission  of  her  slaves  and  debtors  by  working  off  the  just 
claims  against  them  on  fair  terms,  was  successful  only  to  a very 
inconsiderable  extent.  The  Malays  of  Perak  are,  as  a rule,  so 
adverse  to  and  so  unaccustomed  to  steady  labor,  and  can  so 
easily  provide  for  their  wants,  that  they  altogether  decline,  except 
for  short  periods,  to  perform  services  of  any  nature  even  for  high 
wages. 

9.  The  opinion  of  those  having  claims  upon  the  servile  classes 
is  now  pretty  general  in  favor  of  manumission  upon  equitable 
terms,  and  although  a few  old  Conservative  families  in  such 
districts  as  Kinta  would  prefer  to  adhere  to  the  former  state  of 
things,  I have  considered  that  the  time  has  arrived  when  a gen- 
eral measure  having  this  end  in  view  may  be  taken  into  consider- 
ation in  the  hope  of  carrying  it  out  completely  in  the  year  1883. 

10.  His  Excellency  the  Governor  may  have  observed  in  the 
minutes  of  the  March  Session  of  the  Council  of  State  that  the  sub- 
ject of  manumission  of  slaves  and  debtors  was  brought  to  the  notice 
of  His  Highness  the  Regent  by  the  Resident,  and  that  a meeting 
of  the  Council  was  appointed  for  the  15th  May,  for  the  purpose  of 
considering  the  terms  on  which  such  a measure  should  be  based, 
and  the  manner  in  which  it  should  be  carried  out. 


APPENDIX. 


483 


1 1.  My  own  idea  is  that  a commission,  consisting  of  one  or  two 
native  chiefs  and  the  principal  European  officer  of  each  district, 
should  be  appointed  to  inquire,  under  written  instructions,  into 
the  circumstances  of  each  case,  and  award,  subject  to  the  approval 
of  the  Government,  such  compensation  as  may  seem  fair  to  both 
parties  ; that  the  money  necessary  to  pay  the  amounts  awarded 
shall  be  advanced  by  the  Government ; that  the  sum  adjudged  to 
be  paid  for  manumission  shall  remain  in  whole  or  in  part,  as  may 
be  determined  in  Council,  a debt  from  the  freedman  to  the  State, 
which  he  shall  be  bound  to  repay  by  a deduction  of  a portion  of 
his  wages  for  labor  on  the  public  works  of  the  country,  which  he 
must  continue  until  his  debt  is  cleared  off,  should  he  be  unable  or 
unwilling  to  raise  the  money  by  other  means  ; that  male  relatives 
shall  take  upon  them  the  obligations  incurred  for  the  freedom  of 
female  relations  who  may  themselves  be  unable  to  pay  ; and  that, 
from  the  date  of  the  completion  of  the  measure,  every  person  in 
the  State  shall  be  absolutely  free,  and  slavery  and  bond  indebted- 
ness declared  to  be  illegal  institutions  and  forever  abolished. 

12.  I have  formerly  stated  it  as  the  opinion  of  the  best  informed 
natives  that  a sum  varying  from  $60,000  to  $80,000  would  be 
sufficient  to  meet  the  necessary  expenditure,  but  I fear  that  the 
larger  amount  would  be  insufficient,  as  it  would  be  advisable  to 
deal  with  an  institution  involving  so  great  a change  in  the  habits 
of,  and  loss  to  the  people,  with  a certain  measure  of  liberality.  I 
have,  etc. 

(Signed)  HUGH  LOW,  Resident. 

The  Hon.  the  Colonial  Secretary, 
etc.,  etc.,  etc.. 

Straits  Settlements. 


The  Story  of  the  Nations. 

TWTESSRS.  G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS  take  pleasure  in  an- 
nouncing  that  they  have  in  preparation  a series  of 
graphic  historical  studies,  intended  to  present  to  the  young  the 
stories  of  the  different  nations  that  have  attained  prominence 
in  history. 

In  the  story  form  the  current  of  each  national  life  will  be 
distinctly  indicated,  and  its  picturesque  and  noteworthy  periods 
and  episodes  will  be  presented  for  the  young  reader  in  their 
philosophical  relations  to  each  other  as  well  as  to  universal 
history. 

It  will  be  the  plan  of  the  writers  of  the  different  volumes  to 
enter  into  the  real  life  of  the  peoples,  and  to  bring  them  before 
the  reader  as  they  actually  lived,  labored,  and  struggled — as 
they  studied  and  wrote,  and  as  they  amused  themselves.  In 
carrying  out  this  plan,  the  myths,  with  which  the  history  of  all 
lands  begins,  will  not  be  overlooked,  though  these  will  be  care- 
fully distinguished  from  the  actual  history,  so  far  as  the  labors 
of  the  accepted  historical  authorities  have  resulted  in  definite 
conclusions. 

The  “Stories”  will  be  printed  in  good,  readable  type,  and  in 
handsome  121110  form.  They  will  be  adequately  illustrated  and 
furnished  with  maps  and  indexes.  They  will  be  sold  separately, 
at  a price  of  about  $1.50  each. 

The  following  is  a partial  list  of  the  subjects  thus  far  deter- 
mined upon  : 


THE  STORY  OF  EGYPT. 

ASSYRIA. 


"•GREECE.  Prof.  James  A. 
Harrison,  Washington 
and  Lee  University. 

"•ROME.  Arthur  Gilman. 

" *TH  E JEWS.  Prof.  James 
K.  HOSMER,  Washington 
University  of  St.  Louis. 

“ CARTHAGE. 

“ GAUL. 

" BYZANTIUM.  Charl- 
ton T.  Lewis. 

“ EARLY  BRITAIN. 


THE  STORY  OFTHE  GOTHS. 

“ " “ THE  NORMANS.  Sarah 

O.  Jewett. 

THE  SARACENS. 
SPAIN.  By  Rev.  E.  E.  and 
Susan  Hale. 
GERMANY. 

THE  ITALIAN  RE- 
PUBLICS. 

HOLLAND. 

NORWAY.  By  IIjalmar 
H.  BOYESEN. 

(The  volumes  starred  are  expected  to  be  in  readi- 
ness for  the  season  of  1885.) 


G.  P.  PUTNAM’S  SONS,  . 

27  and  29  West  23d  Street  • • New  York  and  London. 


